A Stranger I Once Knew
by heart-of-a-volunteer
Summary: Reunions are bittersweet as secrets from the past are finally revealed and the crew face an uncertain future when animosity towards the UEO begins to surface. Follows 'Keep Moving Forward'. Strays into AU - this is my alternate ending for Season Two.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to those who took the time to review 'Keep Moving Forward.' I know OC stories aren't everyone's cup of tea so every review is very gratefully received. But if you have a criticism, please make it constructive. Writers gain nothing from nasty feedback except a loss in self-confidence.**

**Shudunedus beta'd this one too – she's been a huge help and added some Katie contributions to this one too.**

**Set shortly after the Season Two episode 'Alone'**

**A/N - The stories I write are all part of a series which read in sequence. See my profile for the running order.**

**seaQuest concept and characters are the intellectual property of Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. I own nothing and do not profit.**

**All chapters now added.**

_***_

_Chapter One_

seaQuest DSV – 4600 II

0748

Mid North Atlantic Ocean

42N 17' 36.8", 24W 26' 0.94"

Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz rubbed his eyes as he strolled through the large set of clam doors and onto the bridge of the seaQuest. It wasn't especially early in the day, but he'd forced himself to stay up late the night before and finish a book, and now he was suffering for it. He ran his hand through his mane of dark curls and shook his head to clear the fog that usually accompanied tiredness. His stomach let out a large growl as he took a seat at his station.

'_Maybe I shouldn't have had that extra helping of eggs,_' he thought to himself.

He barely had time to sign into the ships systems before a blonde haired youngster bound up the steps to his left.

"Morning Lucas," he greeted the boy through a yawn, though in actual fact, '_boy_' was slightly offensive. Lucas Wolenczak, although the youngest member of the crew, showed maturity beyond his 18 years of age.

Miguel watched him take a seat at the station beside his own and chuckled, despite himself as he noticed the addition that had been made to his shirt. "So what will it be, Luke? Tango? Foxtrot? A waltz maybe?" he smiled.

Lucas looked at him blankly. '_Has this guy just pulled a double watch?_' he thought. Miguel made a spinning motion with his finger, indicating for him to turn round. With trepidation he agreed, sitting silently as he felt something being peeled off his back. Turning back round sharply, he held out his hand to take the piece of paper Miguel was offering to him. The words, '_I'm in the mood for dancing,' _stared back at him. Infuriated, he screwed up the paper and his face. "Piccolo!" he growled and marched back off the bridge.

Miguel laughed to himself. With characters like that onboard, life never got dull. He was relieved to see everyone having a laugh again. Things hadn't been easy lately. They'd faced a lot of dangers together as a crew, not least ancient curses, aliens and being propelled into the future to secure a safe world for mankind. It had tested them to their limits, but had brought them closer.

"Captain on the Bridge!!" he shouted as Captain Nathan Hale Bridger walked to his seat. All the crew rose and stood to attention.

Nathan eyed them all appraisingly. The sight of his well turned out crew made him smile inside. He really did have the best of the best.

"As you were," he told them and they returned to their duties – ready to begin another watch.

***

seaQuest DSV – 4600 II

1300 hours

"Sir, there's a secured transmission coming in from the Secretary General."

Bridger sighed. '_Couldn't one watch go by without a hiccup?_' he thought. "Patch it through to the Wardroom, Mr O'Neill."

"Aye, Sir," O'Neill transferred the call as Bridger walked, purposefully, off the bridge.

"The bridge is yours, Commander," he shouted behind him.

"Aye Sir," Ford nodded.

"What do you think that's about?" Ortiz asked the Commander.

"Nothing, with any luck," he replied nervously, wishing he could be so sure.

***

Nathan sat himself down in the wardroom and brought the transmission on screen. Secretary General McGath stared back.

"Mr Secretary," Nathan addressed him.

"I've no time for pleasantries, Nathan. This morning the UEO received top-level intelligence concerning possible nuclear and biological experimentation in the Caribbean. I need you to turn your ship around and investigate this immediately."

Nathan sighed inwardly. Despite being outlawed by the UEO, scientists still persisted in pushing the boundaries of these dangerous fields of research. "What kind of experimentation?" he asked.

"The worst kind. We've had satellites combing the island in question for the past two hours. We'll have building schematics and personnel numbers to you within 30 minutes. Just turn the boat around and get to the bottom of this."

"Alright – you're making me nervous. What is it you want us to do exactly?"

"Storm the facility, disable the operations and gather as much intelligence as you can. I want to know what's going on in there. The UEO has a zero tolerance policy on this kind of thing, Nathan. It's all in the files we're sending you. Keep me informed."

The transmission ended, leaving Nathan's heart pumping and mind racing, already preparing a course of action. He pressed the communicator on the desk.

"Commander – turn the boat around, make for the Caribbean, I'll have more specific co-ordinates shortly. And have all senior staff assembled in the Wardroom in 30 minutes."

"Aye, Sir." Ford looked at Ortiz and raised his eyebrows.

"I guess nothing was too much to ask for," Ortiz remarked.

"I guess so." Ford turned as Brody walked onto the bridge.

"What's the panic?" Brody asked.

"Don't know yet, but it doesn't sound good."

"How bad is _not good_?"

"I think you should prep your team," Ford answered, simply.

Brody stood for a moment, judging how serious the Commander really was before nodding. "Aye, Sir," he said, and walked away.

"New heading established, Sir," Henderson informed him from the helm.

"Good – keep her steady." Uneasy, Ford took a seat. He didn't like being in the dark.

***

"This morning the UEO received top-level intelligence regarding nuclear and biological weapons experimentation at a secured facility in the Caribbean," Bridger explained, addressing his senior staff some half an hour later.

He brought the various details about the facility onto the main screen for the crew to review the situation.

"How reliable is this intelligence?" Brody asked, already trying to piece together a possible plan of operation, should the need arise.

"From what I understand, this comes from within – someone who got cold feet or an attack of conscience," Bridger replied. "The facility is heavily guarded. Whatever is going on in there, they don't want it known about, and that's exactly why the UEO is sending us in. Brody, you'll take a team in and secure the facility. Take prisoners if necessary, but hold them onsite – the backup can deal with them once they arrive. At our present speed, you'll have three hours to formulate a plan. Commander, Mr Ortiz – you'll go with him. You'll take Piccolo too, the more manpower the better."

"Piccolo isn't trained for this kind of situation, Sir," Ford protested. The seaman was a convict, serving onboard the seaQuest as part of an inmate release program, and Ford had never quite grown to trust him with these kinds of scenarios.

"At this time I don't care – he's quick on his feet, he can fire a weapon and can go where the rest of you can't," quipped Bridger, silencing his first officer. "Doctor Smith – prepare med-bay, we'll need as many spare beds as possible. Lucas – you and I will be part of the first team in there after the building is secured. Look out what equipment you think we'll need."

"What are we trying to find out?" Lucas asked

"Everything," Bridger said simply. "Mr O'Neill, you'll keep the UEO informed of the situation and remain ready to assist wherever you're needed. I don't know how this one could play out. We are potentially dealing with armed nuclear weapons, so be prepared for anything. Are we clear?"

The staff nodded and rose from their seats, looking at each other and silently assessing the severity of the situation, before departing to carry out their designated jobs.

***

Seated in the first shuttle launch, Ford, Ortiz and Piccolo gave their weapons a final check, along with the other sailors who had been assigned to the mission.

"I can't believe these crack-pots think they can still get away with this kind of thing," Ortiz stated sharply.

"There'll always be crack-pots thinking they can change the world, Miguel," Ford added. "They become so obsessed with what they're doing that they can't see the bigger picture anymore."

He stopped as Brody climbed down from the cockpit. "We'll be landing in one minute," he informed them. "Everyone set?"

"As much as we can be, Lieutenant," Piccolo chirped, "as far as going in blind is concerned."

Brody nodded – it wasn't the ideal situation – that much he could agree with. But it wasn't the first time he'd gone into a potential combat situation with limited intel. It was part of the job – just something they'd have to deal with. "Defend yourselves with reasonable force on this one," he ordered, receiving definite nods in return. None of them were going to have a problem with that.

The shuttle hit dry land with a lurch; propelling them upwards and out of their seats, ready to unload.

"Let's get this over with," Brody swallowed and led the team out of the hatch.

Their less than subtle entrance had already attracted attention from guards on patrol around the beach. Within an instant of leaving the shuttle they were pinned behind it, as gun blasts fired over their heads.

"I had a better reception in prison," Piccolo retorted as he leaned round the corner of the shuttle and fired at the guards.

Ford climbed up the side of the shuttle and fired over its' roof. "Definitely hiding something," he commented.

"We have to move," Brody decided, looking around him for a route. "You and you with me," he pointed to two of his men. "Those bushes up there by the fence, cover us! – MOVE OUT!" Brody ordered.

They took off at a sprint as the others provided cover fire. Through the relentless laser fire, one of the men leaped in the air and dove for the bushes as a blast landed inches from his foot.

"You alright?" Brody asked.

"Yes, Sir," the man hitched his weapon into position and nodded. Now with two positions to work from, they took turns covering each other and running out to fire on the guards. Eventually the enemy numbers thinned enough to allow Ford to lead the remaining men over to the fence, leaving a contingent to guard the launch.

Brody quickly checked to make sure everyone was present.

"Do your thing, Ortiz," Ford ordered.

Ortiz pulled out his equipment and carefully attached it to the electric fence. He twisted the dials and engaged the device, before looking expectantly at Piccolo.

"Why do I have to try it?" Piccolo protested.

"Get on with it!" Brody barked, pushing him forward.

Tentatively, Piccolo touched the fence, tempted to fake an electric shock but thinking better of it under the current circumstances. Having suffered no bad effect he turned back to Ortiz and nodded. "Nice job." He moved back to keep watch and allow Ford and Ortiz to cut through a section of the fence.

After removing the detached section, Ortiz handed Piccolo the wire cutters and cleared away his equipment.

"You three with us; the rest of you guard the shuttle and keep this site secure!" Brody told his men. "Let's go," he nodded to Ford, Piccolo and Ortiz.

They all pulled themselves through the fence, weapons primed, and ran to cover behind an outbuilding. A blast rang out as the guards fired on them, fully aware of their position.

Under cover, Ortiz and Piccolo ran to the other side of the courtyard, and cleared a path for Ford and Brody to join them. Between them again they stunned the guards, but knowing full well that reinforcements were likely on the way.

Ortiz quickly made his way to the nearest entrance and attempted to break-through the security codes.

"It's no use – it's encrypted, it'll take a while," he groaned.

Brody grimaced. "Bull to that," he said and fired off rounds into the control panel. The door swung open in front of them.

"Or you could do that," Ortiz said, eyebrows raised.

They funnelled into the building, instantly meeting resistance strong enough to fell one of Brody's men. As he fell to the ground, stunned, the others turned to face the oncoming onslaught, fired up for a fight.

"Fire at will!" Brody yelled, unleashing a torrent of laser-fire, and forcing the guards to pull back.

"Guard this exit!" Brody ordered his remaining men.

Ford and Piccolo pressed forward while Brody and Ortiz double backed to clear the corridor behind them. They met a group of stunned white-coated scientists attempting to leave.

"On the ground!" Brody yelled, resulting in instant, and terrified compliance.

Clearing room by room, he and Ortiz made their way down the corridor.

The building was an aging wreck. It reminded Ortiz more of his old Cuban elementary school than a research facility; it was in desperate need of some repair work. The missing ceiling panels revealed exposed wiring and decaying roof beams while the whitewashed walls had turned sickly yellow and were coated in decades of grease. It seemed the walls weren't the only thing covered in grease and dirt; their feet stuck to the floor as they traversed the narrow corridors. Brody turned up his nose at the strong musty smell.

"More labs," Ortiz commented after the third room.

"But for what?" Brody asked. The more labs he saw, the more disconcerted he became - noticing the absence of any standard scientific equipment, and instead the presence of medical appliances. Whatever these labs were for, it wasn't the biological experimentation they were anticipating.

"I'm not reading any radioactivity," Ortiz said.

"Isn't that a good thing? Cover me!" Brody said as he rounded a corner. He and Ortiz faced off with six heavily armed men guarding a door. "Grenade!" Brody yelled. He released the pin and pulled Ortiz back round the corner. Despite covering their ears, they were both momentarily deafened by the blast.

"You alright?" Brody yelled.

"Yeah – go!" Ortiz answered.

He provided cover while Brody rounded the corner and proceeded to kick down the previously guarded door.

As Brody entered the room, he stood, stunned, all fears about what they'd find suddenly shattered by the reality in front of him. In shackles, chained to the wall was a young woman, bruised and barely conscious, in white medical scrubs. She struggled to pull her head up to meet his gaze.

"_Jim?_" she whispered.

A further wave of shock coursed through his body as realisation took hold. Suddenly numb, his hands were unable to keep a hold on his weapon and with a sharp clang it fell onto the linoleum floor at his feet, startling the person before him. "ORTIZ!!!!" he yelled, his hammering heart bringing him back to reality.

Ortiz ran into the room and took in the sight. He, like Brody, stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the unexpected sight, before moving silently to drop to his knees beside Brody and the woman.

"_Jim_,_" _she whispered again, her head hanging.

Brody cupped his hand around her face and pulled it up to look at them, causing Ortiz to start in panic.

"Oh my god, it's Beth," he panted, "It's Beth!"

He brought his hand out to softly stroke her cheek, and his heart thumped as she pulled her eyes up to meet his. The relief and desperation he saw in them, as she registered his identity, was overwhelming. She licked her dry, cracked lips in a struggle to speak. He pulled out a container and poured water into her mouth, supporting her head as she drank eagerly.

"Easy, easy," he soothed, pulling the container away and checking her over for any visible signs of injury. "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

Brody, meanwhile, got straight on his PAL to Ford. "Ford?"

"Yeah?"

"We need an evac now!"

"Who's hurt?"

"A prisoner – we have to get her out of here."

"Negative – no prisoners to be transported to seaQuest."

Ortiz snatched the PAL from Brody and yelled into it. "Commander, it's Beth – it's Beth Allen."

Ford silenced. "Where are you?"

"We're at the far end of the north-east corridor," Brody said, picking up his weapon again and moving to the door.

"Hold position, we're coming to you," Ford ordered, signing off.

"It's still clear," he informed Ortiz and returned to sit by him and Beth. "How did this happen?" he asked her.

Beth looked at her old friend and her mouth trembled. She let out an anguished sigh and shook her head in frustration – exhaustion halting the hundreds of words she wanted to release.

Brody took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "I'm going to get you out of here – I promise! You hear me?" he asked, looking for an answer. When she hung her head once more and turned it away from him he grasped hold of it firmly, looking her in the eye. "You hear me?!?"

Her eyes refocused on his and she nodded, this time with more certainty.

He and Ortiz both snapped round, weapons ready, as Ford and Piccolo burst through the door.

"My god!" Ford exclaimed, seeing the figure before them. "What's she doing here?"

"Tony – wire cutters," Ortiz asked, anxiously.

Piccolo opened his bag and pulled out the two pairs of cutters. He and Ortiz set to work carefully cutting through the metal bands around Beth's painfully thin wrists, while Brody supported her body.

"She's like a rag doll, who is she?" Piccolo asked.

"Not now, Tony," Ortiz said sharply as he cut through the last of the band. As her other arm was freed, she limped backwards, and he took her weight into his arms. "It's alright," he soothed, as she gasped in pain, "I got you."

With Brody's help, they both hauled her to her feet.

Head spinning, she struggled to place her feet solidly beneath her. "I need a minute," she rasped, her breathing strained.

"We don't have a minute," Ford shouted from the door and fired at the men advancing down the corridor towards them.

"Do you have her?" Brody asked Ortiz

"Yeah," Ortiz reassured, holding Beth protectively. She leant heavily on him, her arms clutching him tightly, in her struggle to remain upright.

Brody readied his weapon and went to the door to assist Ford and Piccolo. "How many are there?" he asked.

"Seven or eight at best," Piccolo shouted, pulling his head back round to safety.

"What do you think?" Brody asked.

"I think we need to get out of here," Ford said, sternly, looking over at Beth clinging to Ortiz like a lifeline.

Ortiz gripped her hands, reassuringly, as they watched the situation develop. To his relief, she'd managed to gain some semblance of balance and had her feet planted more securely on the floor.

"I'd say we're being threatened with full force – it's about time we gave some back," Brody quipped.

"I'd go with that, Sir," Piccolo agreed.

With restricted options, Ford was inclined to agree. "Piccolo, take the left with Brody," he ordered, taking position at the right hand side of the door. "Set lasers to full-power, fire on my order." He looked behind to Ortiz. "Ortiz, move her back."

Ortiz nodded and gently, but urgently, guided Beth to stand against the wall, slightly further along from the others.

Ford didn't have to wait long before giving the order to open fire. He, Brody and Piccolo were soon engaged in a gunfight that had both sides entrenched and unwilling to give ground.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Brody shouted above the successive blasts. He moved back behind the doorway and pulled another grenade off his belt, before shooting a questioning glance at Ford.

He nodded in agreement. "Give me a second one," he ordered.

With grenades in hand, they both leaned out opposite sides of the doorway and threw the explosives towards their targets.

"Fire in the hole!" Brody yelled, ducking round the corner and holding his head in his arms.

Ortiz pulled Beth to the ground and covered her ears, as the two explosions sounded simultaneously. Once the noise had cleared, there was nothing left but silence and a persistent ringing, which he took to be his own ears sounding in complaint. After his ears, his next thought was to get Beth back on her feet and get moving.

"Alright?" he asked, as they walked over to join the others.

"Yeah," she said, quietly.

"Brody, Ortiz – take Beth. Tony and I will cover you," Ford told them.

The grenade blasts had cleared a substantial path, leaving them to move unhindered towards the entrance. Ford radioed ahead, telling the men to keep the way clear and prepare to move.

Between them, Brody and Ortiz supported Beth – half carrying, half pushing as she struggled to keep pace, continually groaning with the effort.

"Where are you hurt?" Brody asked, hoping to provide some relief to her pain, but she didn't respond. "Beth, where does it hurt?" he repeated.

"God Damn it! I'm just _sore_, you moron," she rasped, agitated.

Ortiz managed a smile, recognising the same stubborn determination he'd got to know so well. He looked up and ground to a halt as Ford peered round a corner ahead of them, his hand held high indicating them to stop.

It was over before either Ortiz or Brody had a chance to react, and they turned, too late, to find Beth snatched away by one of the guards – a gun held to her head and struggling with all her remaining strength to free herself from his grasp.

The two of them instantly raised their weapons, furious.

"Drop the weapon," Brody said, sternly.

What happened next, Ortiz would never be sure of. He would always recall staring into Beth's eyes, as the negotiations carried on around him. He would never be able to shake the pleading in those eyes, the desperation that said, '_Get me out of here, or I won't survive_.'

Whatever route of negotiation Ford and Brody were taking, it was leading nowhere, and they all knew it. They were wasting time. Being held in one place only increased their chances of being surrounded again.

The desperation in her eyes was growing past panic to near madness. Clearly terrified at the thought of being abandoned again, she was throwing all her might into trying to free herself from the secure hold the guard had on her.

"A full military force is en-route to secure this facility. How you act now may decide your fate later," Ford told the guard.

"I have my orders. Just like you have yours," he barked back, and began moving away from them, back along the corridor they'd just come from.

At that moment, with what could only be described as an almighty shriek of defiance, Beth managed to slip from his grasp and turn to face him. Pushing him away, she threw out her right arm and, with some unearthly force, sent him propelling through the air until he hit the back wall and crumbled to the ground, some fifty feet away.

Disbelief, mixed with unease and fear, paralysed Ford and his men as they stood attempting to make sense of what they'd just seen. Only when Beth began to sway before them and collapse to the ground did they awake from their daze.

"BETH!!!" Ortiz yelled and ran to her side.

Brody, too, dropped beside her. "Gods! She's out cold, get her up!" he exclaimed, and together with Ortiz, carried her onwards to the entrance, where Brody's two men still stood guard, with the other recovering on the ground.

"Can you stand?" Ford asked him, receiving a tentative nod in response. "Good, come on," Ford pushed them onwards and joined the others, crouched down low against the outside wall. They were surrounded on either side.

Brody set Beth down on the ground and gently slapped her face. "Beth! Beth!" She groaned and her eyes flickered open. "Good girl – you have to stay with us," he spoke reassuringly. "Do you think you could stretch to a run?"

She closed her eyes and nodded weakly.

"This is insane, she's barely conscious," Ortiz protested.

"She can do it!" Brody barked, "She _has_ to do it!" he said, determined. They both helped her to stand once more.

"Just tell me when," she breathed.

Piccolo and Ford fired off a few rounds to clear the way then nodded to Brody.

"Alright on three; one, two, three!"

Brody and Ortiz pushed her forward. They kept her running ahead of them, maintaining speed despite her stumbling and failing legs. Gun blasts erupted all around narrowly missing them. Beth's focus was so much on reaching the fence that she barely registered the sharp pain in her left arm. Brody climbed through the fence first and pulled her through after him. As Ortiz followed her through, she jerked suddenly as her entire body seized. He looked to her arm and saw a dart sticking out from her flesh.

"She's hit," he exclaimed, "she's hit!"

Her body racked with spasms as the first wave of the toxin coursed through her body. Ortiz pulled out the dart and held it up. Whatever it was, most of the contents had entered her body. Brody gathered her into his arms, and under cover from his men carried her into the shuttle. Once inside, he lay her on the seat and knelt beside her.

"Is everyone on board?" he shouted.

"Everyone accounted for, Sir!" Piccolo shouted back.

"Pilot, go! Get us back to the seaQuest!" Brody barked.

Beth's eyes roved, unfocused and she struggled to breathe. "_Jim!!!" _she whined.

"I'm here, I'm here," he reassured. "You'll be ok," he soothed, stroking her hair.

"_M…guel?" _she choked. Hearing his name, Ortiz moved closer and took her hand.

"He's alright," Brody said, "Just hold on, a little bit longer."

Beth shook her head, "_Can't_,_" _her eyes flickered shut.

Brody shouted directly into her face, "Beth, don't you dare, BETH!" He didn't get a response and quickly checked for a pulse, while Ford radioed seaQuest.

"Med-bay this is Ford, we have a priority one medical emergency, request you meet us at the med-evac hatch."

The shuttle jerked as it made an emergency dock with the seaQuest. Brody gathered Beth into his arms and carefully carried her over to the hatch, laying her down on the slab and pushing her into the tube where she would be moved into the boat. "Let's go," he told the others urgently, leading them up out of the shuttle and through the launch bay to where the hatch from the shuttle opened out on the other side.

Doctor Smith, accompanied by Bridger and Lucas, were already waiting to meet them.

"What's going on?" Bridger demanded.

"We encountered something unexpected, Captain," was the best explanation Ford could give.

"More like some_one_," Piccolo added.

They all stepped back to allow Smith and her staff room to open the hatch and pull out the slab onto a gurney.

"My God!" Bridger exclaimed, as he identified the woman on the slab, moving back further as Brody barged past to take her hand.

Doctor Smith checked her for vital signs. "She's barely there – MOVE!" she ordered, running away with her staff as they wheeled the gurney down the corridor, with the others close behind.

Ortiz caught Lucas by the arm and handed him the dart. "Find out what this is!" he barked before running after them.

"Will she be alright?" Lucas shouted, but all he received was silence.

***

Minutes later Beth was hooked up to machines and IV drips in med-bay, a crowd of concerned faces gathered at the foot of her bed, watching, as Smith and her team worked. After a while she looked at them and shook her head, with both confusion and defeat. They all sighed in dismay.

"The best I can do is try to keep her stable," she told them. "She's heavily bruised, probably internally as well as externally, dehydrated, malnourished. I'll know more after I run some tests."

Ortiz ran his hand over his face. He couldn't believe what was happening. For over three years, this girl had haunted his thoughts and now here she was, lying in front of him, clinging to life. His mind whirred.

Unable to comprehend the situation without a detailed explanation, Bridger ushered both Ford and Piccolo out of the room. "I want a debriefing in the wardroom in one hour," he ordered as they walked down the corridor. "And this better be good," he laughed, half in fear, half in anger at whatever barbarity they'd encountered.

"Who is this chick?" Piccolo asked as they walked.

"She's a scientist, came aboard the last seaQuest for five months doing a research project. We haven't heard from her since then. How she knows Brody though is beyond me," Ford replied.

"Any idea what she was doing in that place?" Piccolo asked.

"Your guess is as good as ours, Tony," Ford replied, as he and the Captain marched ahead.

"Man!" Piccolo exclaimed. "This is heavy!"

***

"Mr Brody and Mr Ortiz to the Wardroom," Bridger's voice called across the ships communication system.

The men sat unmoving next to Beth's bed. Barely a word had passed between them during the last half hour. Her condition hadn't changed and neither had the position of the two men watching over her. Jim sat clasping her hand while Miguel could only look on helplessly.

"Come on," Wendy spoke softly, urging them out of their seats.

Upon reaching the wardroom, Bridger eyed them, disapprovingly. "I know this is difficult for you both, it's difficult for all of us, but that's no reason to neglect your duties. I wanted you both here five minutes ago."

"Sorry, Sir," they both mumbled as they sat down.

"For those of you who weren't on our last tour, Elizabeth Allen is a friend to many of us. She spent a great deal of time aboard seaQuest and is well respected among the crew. It is therefore very important to us all that we find out as much as we can about this facility, and what she was doing there." He paused to take in the solemn faces. "Lucas – what did you get from the dart?" he asked the boy.

"I analysed the contents. It's, uh, it's a neurotoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin. So strong that, from what I could gather, it's capable of shutting down the human nervous system of in a matter of seconds. She should be dead, Captain. I can't figure out how she's still alive."

Ortiz' throat constricted, suppressed emotions suddenly rising to the fore. "Can you reverse it?" he asked.

"It's possible, but I'm going to need some time."

"I don't know how much you'll have. Her entire body is in shutdown. Her neural output is at less than 10% of normal and falling. I can't read anything from her. I've never seen anything like this. I'm with Lucas; I don't know how she's hanging in there," Doctor Smith added.

Brody shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I, um, I might have some information on that, Captain."

"Speak up, Lieutenant," Bridger said.

Brody took a moment to gather the right words. "First you all have to realise that I've been keeping this to myself since I was a child, so I'm placing a great deal of trust in every one of you." He breathed out deeply and then said, "You'll all have heard of the B.E.T.H. genetics project?" Blank faces stared back at him.

"The Bio-Engineered Telekinetic Human project, yeah, of course. It was supposed to be a pre-cursor to the development of the G.E.L.F.s. Some scientists claimed to have created a human capable of controlling matter, but it was just a hoax, Lieutenant," Lucas told him.

Brody stared back, "Trust me Lucas, its no hoax. They just wanted it to seem that way. Beth is…B.E.T.H."

"That's ridiculous…" Ford began.

"Commander, how else do you explain what she did to that guard? Neither you, nor me, nor Ortiz could have thrown him through the air like that, and we're ten times stronger than her. Those people had her in there so they could experiment on her!" Brody struggled to maintain control. "Her DNA is bio-engineered. _That's_ why she's still alive."

No one dared breathe for fear of rippling the still silence that had descended on the room. But whether it was a silence of shocked acceptance or stunned disbelief remained to be seen.

"The pills…" Lucas whispered – the unexplained mystery suddenly falling into place.

Having been thinking the same thing, knowing glances were exchanged between O'Neill, Ortiz and Ford.

"What pills?" Brody asked, confused.

"We'll explain later, Lieutenant. But for now, let's say that what you're telling us is true. What's your relationship with Miss Allen?" Bridger asked.

Ortiz looked at Brody in anticipation, eager to know the story.

"When she was five years old she moved next door to me and my grandparents. Before then she'd been kept in a secure experimental facility where they tested and trained her for their own interests. Someone within the project decided to take a stand and had her smuggled out. That's when I came to know her. To cut a long story short, I found out what she was capable of and sort of looked out for her." They all stared at him, listening intently. "When she was 14, I went away to Annapolis. I always came back for holidays, but three years down the line I came back and she wasn't there. My grandparents told me that she'd left. Some men had turned up one day asking for her and she'd disappeared. I assume they got hold of her. But since then she must have escaped and starting living somewhere; that's when you all met her. They obviously found her shortly after she left seaQuest and have been holding her again."

Again, silence descended on the room – this time there was definite shock as acceptance of this new truth tried to seep through.

"But she's so…" Lucas began.

"Normal?" Brody asked.

"Vulnerable," Ortiz finished.

He and Brody locked eyes and an understanding passed between them.

It took a few more moments before anyone was ready to break the contemplative pause in proceedings.

"What can we do?" O'Neill asked.

"Lucas, I want you and Doctor Smith to concentrate solely on producing an antidote for this toxin. Whatever you need, we'll get it for you."

They both nodded, immediately standing up to walk purposefully from the room.

"Commander, Mr O'Neill, you two will come with me to search the facility, and get Henderson too."

"Aye, Sir," O'Neill also left.

"What about us, Sir?" Brody asked, referring to himself and Ortiz.

"You both obviously care for Miss Allen a great deal, and she needs your support. However you are both important members of the crew, so I don't want you neglecting your duties. I want only one of you sitting in med-bay. The other is to remain on the bridge. I intend to get as far away from here as possible, as quickly as possible." The four men left the wardroom together. "And post two guards to med-bay," Bridger added.

Brody and Ortiz looked stunned. "Sir, Beth isn't dangerous," Brody insisted.

"I never said she was, Lieutenant, but the people who want her quite clearly are. Mr Ortiz, you'll report to the bridge please."

Bridger and Ford walked away leaving Ortiz and Brody standing awkwardly together with Beth like an invisible wall between them.

"If anything changes I want to know," Ortiz said solemnly and began to walk away.

"Hey, Miguel," Brody called. Ortiz stopped and turned around, his face drawn. "What was that about pills?" he asked.

Ortiz sighed, not particularly wanting to dredge up old memories at that moment. "When she came aboard she was addicted to sleeping pills. All she told us was that she was suffering nightmares and things had got so desperate she'd turned to the drugs. She never told us what caused them. I guess now we know," he laughed, dryly.

Brody stood, taking the information in, not particularly surprised at what he'd heard. "She's going to be alright," he told the other man, more as reassurance to himself than anyone else.

Ortiz nodded and continued to the bridge. Brody walked in the opposite direction, back to med-bay and the friend he'd left behind all those years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

With such a startling turn of events, it proved difficult for the crew to concentrate on their tasks, but for many of them just having a task to focus on was a blessing.

Lonnie had been tasked to the team surveying the facility. She'd just returned with Tim, Jonathan and the Captain. The close, dark, tense atmosphere of the building had reflected the emotions of her crewmates.

After securing what information they could, which wasn't much, the crew had handed control of the building over to the ground forces, and now the seaQuest was heading for open-ocean.

Having not been onboard when Beth had first visited, she struggled to connect to the situation, instead feeling alienated in a world she'd just begun to adjust to. Her first reaction was one of resentment, but then seeing Lucas working relentlessly in the lab trying to find an antidote her feelings had quickly turned to compassion and a desire to help them in anyway she could.

She took a detour past med-bay, wanting to check in on Jim. He'd always looked out for her during her time onboard, possibly because they were both new among an already established crew, and so she felt it only right to return the favour. As expected, he sat patiently at Beth's side, clasping her hand, acting as her anchor to life. Wendy stood in the background, keeping watch on them both. There was little she could do until Lucas came through with something, so she divided her time between med-bay and attempting to help Lucas in the lab.

Deciding it best not to approach him yet, Lonnie continued onwards. She walked onto the bridge to find Miguel with his head in his hands at his station. None of them had tried to approach him since everything had come out – they didn't know how, not yet anyway, but that didn't mean they shouldn't try. She climbed the stairs and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump at the unexpected presence.

"You look exhausted," she commented, taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah," he sighed, "Did you find anything?"

"Tim and Jonathan are going over the data now. It's one scary place."

"I don't even want to think about her in there," he said, shaking his head.

"You two were pretty close weren't you?" she asked. Miguel answered her with a stony silence. Clearly he wasn't quite ready to be approached. "Have you eaten?" she asked instead.

"No."

"I think you should - I'll come with you."

"I'm not in the mood!" he snapped. "I'm sorry, I just; I need some time to figure this out." He buried his head in his hands once more.

"Alright," she sighed, placating. "I'll be in the mess if you want to talk." She stood up quietly and walked away, stopping to turn at the entrance to the bridge.

She'd only known Miguel a short while. He was a happy-go-lucky guy, always available with a joke and a smile, but with a kind heart to go with it. He was serious when he needed to be, but she'd never seen him this cut up. She'd heard about him and Beth from various crewmembers. Every time the _Briers – Allen _Marine Reserve was mentioned, someone would always shoot Miguel a knowing glace. He didn't talk about it and she'd never asked. Perhaps she should have – it was clearly something that was important to him. She watched him staring into space and wished desperately that there were something they could do. Clearly she wasn't the only one. She turned to see Dagwood looking at Miguel with the same concerned expression.

"Why is Miguel so sad?" he asked simply.

"His friend is sick, very sick," Lonnie explained.

"Oh," he replied, "Will his friend be alright?"

"I don't know Dagwood," Lonnie said sadly.

Dagwood remained looking at Miguel. Although simple minded, he was acutely aware of his crewmates feelings and always eager to help.

"Come on," Lonnie told him, "let's leave him alone," she suggested and led him away to the mess hall.

***

Early the following morning, Wendy walked into what she expected to be an empty lab. Instead, Lucas lay face down on the desk in front of her with computers flashing all around him. She crept quietly up to him and softly whispered in his ear.

"Lucas? Hey, Lucas?"

He mumbled and his head shot up. He looked at Wendy then relaxed. When he remembered why he was in the lab he looked around him, panicked.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"She's still the same – Miguel is with her now."

Lucas rubbed his eyes and blinked, trying to read the message on the screen in front of him. He sighed. Nothing was working – he couldn't find a chemical to counteract the effects of the toxin. '_I'm not a bio-chemist_, _they shouldn't have trusted me with this_,' he thought angrily to himself, though with Wendy around he was never sure of that.

"This is way over my head," he moaned.

"Why don't you take a break? Come visit Beth?" Wendy suggested.

"I don't want to see her!" Lucas snapped, "Not like that."

"Lucas…" Wendy began.

"No! She's not the same!"

"She's exactly the same. Just even more vulnerable and scared, which is why she needs her friends by her side."

Lucas stared silently at the computer screen, seeking the answers his calculations couldn't find. "Just for a minute," he said.

***

In med-bay, Miguel sat holding Beth's hand. He'd got up early to ensure no one would be there, but had been disappointed.

Jim had still been sitting by her side, looking pale and tired as well as unwashed. He turned as Miguel's figure shadowed the doorway.

"Oh, hey," he said.

"How is she?" Miguel asked, walking forward. He pulled up a chair and sat down.

"No change," Jim rubbed his face.

"You need to rest," Miguel told him, matter-of-factly.

"I _need_ to be here," Jim replied harshly, his voice strained. The heart-monitor beeped and whirred continuously in the background providing some faint reassurance that she was still there. He laid Beth's hand down and turned to face Miguel. "I need to be here when she wakes up."

"You're gonna make yourself sick sitting here."

"How can I sleep when she's lying here like this?!?" Jim shouted.

"You think I've slept, Jim?!?" Miguel shouted back, "You think I've been able to take my mind off this?"

"Off _this_? What is she, some cyborg?" Jim retorted.

Miguel threw his hands up. "You're tired, I'm not listening to this."

"Then what did you come here for?"

Miguel snapped round and yelled in Jim's face "TO BE WITH HER!!" He lowered his voice, "_I _need to be here too."

The two men stood face to face in silence for a few moments, before Jim slowly nodded, and turned back to look at her.

"You know how helpless I felt when she disappeared?" he said, quietly. "There was _nothing_ I could do. I knew they had her, and I couldn't do a thing."

"Yeah, about as helpless as I feel now."

Jim turned his head to look at him, realising that despite how strong the guilt and responsibility weighed on him, they were weighing on Miguel too. "You're right," he said, standing up, "I need to get some rest." He rubbed his hand through his hair and looked agonisingly back at Beth for a few seconds.

"Besides, you really stink," Miguel added, giving him a slap on the shoulder.

Jim's mouth twitched in amusement, and he left silently.

Now alone, Miguel looked to Beth and took in her sunken features. Where once her face had been so full of determination and stubbornness, now she just looked haggard and frail. He pulled the seat closer to the bed and sat down. Her arms were littered with puncture wounds, and he grimaced at the thought of what had made them. Her hand lay limp at her side. Carefully, he picked it up and wrapped his fingers round hers, raising it to his lips and kissing it gently.

"I'm sorry I let you go," he breathed and rested his head against her hand.

He so desperately needed to feel her fingers move beneath his own. Save for the fluttering of her weak breath, her stillness was so complete she seemed inches from death.

He thought back to the weeks after she'd left seaQuest. He'd told her he'd miss her, and it had been no lie. He'd also been full of questions and regret. His heart told him he'd felt something unique for her, but his head questioned it, and he regretted not finding out which was telling the truth. His life had moved on, but he'd never quite been willing to close the door on whatever it was they had – after all – how can you close the door on something unfinished?

Almost three years had passed since the designation of the _Briers – Allen_ Marine Reserve. His mind reeled at what her captors had been doing to her during that time, but he didn't have much time to contemplate it as his thoughts were interrupted by alarms on the monitors. Beth's pulse was falling.

"No, please, no," he sprang up and pressed the alarm button.

Footsteps pounded through the doorway. He turned to see Wendy, Lucas and Tim run in. Lucas stood anxiously on the other side of the bed. Tim stood behind Miguel, while Wendy checked Beth's vitals.

"Well?" asked Lucas

"She's in bradycardia, I need 1mg of atropine!" she shouted to her medical staff.

A nurse pulled out a needle and a vial and withdrew the dose. Wendy took the needle from her and pumped the drug into Beth's IV line.

"Her neural output has fallen again," she sighed, "7% of normal. Her body can't take much more of this – it's giving up."

The monitors continued to sound in alarm. They waited, but Beth's heart showed no sign of speeding up. Miguel's heart, however, was pounding to compensate.

"Give me another milligram," Wendy ordered and administered the drug. She held her breath in anticipation. Miguel buried his head in Beth's hand again. The slow pulse on the monitor began to increase in speed and he let out his breath in a sigh of relief, the pressure on his heart easing a little. Tim rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

They both watched as Lucas leaned over and spoke to Beth. "I just wanted to tell you I'm trying," he said quietly, briefly laid his hand over hers before standing up and making a hasty exit back to the lab.

"How are you holding up?" Tim asked his friend.

"I don't know," he replied.

More footsteps sounded from behind them. The small room was rapidly becoming the social centre of the boat. This time Dagwood shyly entered carrying a bunch of flowers.

"Lonnie told me your friend was sick. I got these," he gestured proudly towards the flowers.

Miguel laid Beth's hand down and stood up to take the bouquet from Dagwood, giving his arm a friendly pat in thanks.

Dagwood smiled at the gesture. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

Miguel placed the flowers on a table next to the bed. "She was hurt, Dag."

"Why?"

"Because she's different."

"Different, how?"

"Well, different like you…I guess."

"Like me?" Dagwood asked.

"Yeah," Miguel and Tim both smiled.

The ship's PA system rang and Bridger's voice sounded out. "Mr Brody, Mr O'Neill and Mr Ortiz please report to the wardroom."

Miguel looked at Beth and then to Dagwood. "Would you keep her company?" he asked, holding out the seat for Dagwood to sit in.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Just sit and be here," Tim answered.

"Ok," Dagwood said and sat down.

"I'll be back soon," Miguel called as he and Tim walked down the hall.

***

In the wardroom, select members of the crew listened with dismay as the Captain informed them that all information relating to Beth had been removed from the computers at the facility.

"So we're no better off than when we started," Ford stated.

"No, but Miss Allen is safe. And that has to count for something," Bridger said.

"Sir…what do you intend to do about her?" Brody asked tentatively.

"Before she left the last seaQuest I told her she'd always have a place on my crew. She still has a place here if she wants it. I don't intend to throw her to the dogs, Lieutenant," Bridger said sharply, slightly angered at the insinuation.

"But, Sir, we have to face the possibility that if they've somehow managed to control her, she could have been programmed to take down the seaQuest," Ford stated.

"Commander!" Brody stared at him accusingly.

"Do you deny it, Lieutenant?" Ford asked.

Brody backed down, "No, Sir."

"I'm not saying she would intentionally harm anyone on this boat. But what if that's not the Beth we knew lying in there? We can't be sure," Ford explained.

"Doctor Smith could. She could read her mind and find out whether she's under any influence," O'Neill suggested.

"I don't know whether that would work. She could block Wendy from her mind," Brody said.

"I didn't know Beth before, but it looks to me like she's been putting up one hell of a fight in there. If they were training her for a mission she'd be in good physical health, not wasted away to nothing," Henderson added.

"Henderson has a point, Commander," Bridger said.

"Even barely conscious she was able to propel a grown man fifty feet down a corridor, Captain. She's stronger than she looks," Ford argued.

"She was also terrified, Commander," Ortiz commented. "She may have taken out that guard, but it took _all_ of her strength to do it. And besides that - they _shot_ her. That toxin was tailor made to kill; they were trying to destroy the evidence."

Ford nodded his head, "I agree, but we should be cautious."

Bridger reached for his PAL as it rang on the desk.

"Captain, I've found it, I think this might work!!!" Lucas' excited voice rang out.

***

Wendy stood next to Beth holding a hypodermic needle loaded with a blue liquid and looking to the Captain for orders.

"Do it," he confirmed.

She plunged the needle into Beth's IV line and injected the contents then stepped back to allow Miguel to stand by Beth's side, while Jim took up guard by the other.

Lucas gripped his hands round the bed bars. "With her metabolism she should react in a few seconds," he told them.

Miguel took Beth's hand in his and gently stroked her brow, attempting to coax her awake.

Lonnie stood behind Jim and placed a reassuring hand gently on his shoulder. He cast her a grateful glance.

With initial hesitation, the monitors around them suddenly burst into life.

"Neural activity is increasing," Wendy told them "30% of normal output. 40%, 50, 60%…"

Beth's chest heaved as she took a deep breath.

"70%, 80, 85, 90, 95%…" Wendy counted.

Beth's eyes snapped open. She inhaled sharply, sat bolt upright and ripped out her IV lines. "No more needles!" she blurted. She snatched her hands free and tried to scramble back from the group of people watching her. Wincing, she gripped her head and began to fall backwards.

"Woah, woah!" Jim exclaimed. He and Miguel caught her and gently lowered her back onto the bed.

She panted and stared at the people above her, her eyes wide with terror, as she thrashed and struggled against Miguel and Jim holding down her arms.

"Beth stop!" Miguel pleaded.

"NO!!!!! LET GO OF ME!!!!!" she screamed in terror, determined to release herself from their grasp.

Her cries were jarring, filling Miguel with frustrated and overwhelming compassion. He had no idea how to help her. She was terrified and he didn't know how to get through to her.

Wendy could see her eyes roving the room, unfocused. She had no idea where she was. There were hands pushing, restraining. People crowded round, gloating people, laughing at the little child with the awkward smile. The fingers were always pointing, forever singled out. Bright lights; they could see, piercing inwards. First she tried running, but there was only so far her legs could carry her. Then she closed her eyes, pretending they weren't there, but the images always returned. The last resort was reaching out for the hand that was never there. They laughed at the limp hand searching aimlessly with nothing to hold onto. In the end she had to turn and face it, and something died then, the warmth faded. Resistance was the only way, the only way to survive; battle, constant battle. Get out somehow, someday, but not now. Never let them in, or everything will fade with the warmth.

A calming presence suddenly closed on her mind and words came to her with no sound.

'_Beth? Beth, listen to me, focus on my voice, you're safe_,' Beth's mind recoiled and tried to force out the intruder. '_No, Beth, listen to me, you're safe_,' Wendy projected the words into her mind.

Her eyes lifted and clarity returned. She saw Lucas standing at the end of the bed, clearly shocked by the scene and stopped struggling. She allowed her eyes to survey the others in the room. Captain Nathan Bridger, Commander Jonathan Ford, Lieutenant Tim O'Neill, two unknown faces – she probed their minds – Ensign Lenore Ellen Henderson, liked to be called Lonnie, and Doctor Wendy Smith – a telepath. Wendy smiled as she felt her brush through her mind.

There were figures either side of her too, whose presences felt comfortingly familiar. One, she instantly recognised and tightened her grip on his hand before turning to be caught in his gaze - Chief Petty Officer, Miguel Ortiz. The second she wasn't so sure of, but with trepidation turned to cast her eyes on him, roving over his face until realisation dawned.

"Jim?" she panted, confused.

"Yeah," he smiled. "You're on the seaQuest, you're safe."

She shook her head, believing the scene in front of her to be some trick "No."

However, Nathan then stepped forward and the clarity and truth in his voice was enough to convince her, for now, that she wasn't losing her mind. "This is the 4600 mark II," he explained. "You've given us quite a shock, Miss Allen. It's good to have you back with us."

She looked between Jim and the captain nervously. "You know everything," she stated, before looking back to Jim, still visibly confused.

Jim pointed to his uniform "Security Chief," he said, hoping it would answer her question.

"Where's Shan? Ben? Katie?" she asked, confused.

"There've been a few crew changes," Jonathan replied.

Beth opened her mouth as if to speak, but remained silent.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"I don't think I can feel my legs," she stated, emotionless – too tired to react.

Wendy moved to the bottom of the bed and began to prod her feet and legs. She looked to her for a sign that she'd felt something, but Beth shook her head.

"The toxin you were darted with may have caused some nerve damage."

"Is it permanent?" Miguel asked.

"I can't be sure, but I wouldn't think so." She turned to the others in the room. "She really needs to rest," she told them, "You can come back later, but I'd like a few hours to check her over."

Nathan nodded, "You concentrate on getting better, that's an order," he winked, and ferried his crew out of the room.

Lonnie pulled Jim away, while Miguel reluctantly let go of Beth's hand.

She called out as they reached the door. "Lucas." He turned in response. "Thank you," she said. Lucas nodded sternly and left with the others. It was only later that he realised no one had told Beth what he'd done.

"They'll be back," Wendy said in response to her worried look. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Strange," she grimaced. She watched as Wendy checked her over. "Do they know you're a telepath?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes," Doctor Smith replied simply. Beth looked surprised. "No one here is going to judge you for what you are." She set down her stethoscope and paused by the side of the bed. "Would you let me in?" she asked. "I'd have a much better idea of how to help you, if you let me see what went on in there."

Beth snapped her eyes to the doctor, "I don't want you going in there," she insisted.

"But as your physician I _need_ to know" Wendy insisted. "Just relax and let me see." Beth closed her eyes and Wendy took her hand. Instantly Wendy gasped in shock and threw herself backwards away from her.

"I'm alright," Wendy lied, though she knew those images would stay with her forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Big thanks to defranz and firebunee for reading, and also to those who have signed up for alerts. It's nice to know there are some people enjoying it x_**

**_***_**

The next few days proved just as tentative and demanding as the various informed members of the crew continued to come to terms with the truth they were being faced with.

The physical and mental toll exacted by her confinement meant that Beth was only awake for short spells - just long enough to make small talk, which was all any of them could manage at that point. The rest of the time she slept, with silent visitors creeping in and out throughout the day.

During that time, Wendy called a meeting with the senior staff and told them of what she'd seen. Ford had been right – they'd been trying to control her. They'd been using any means necessary to explore the full extent of her abilities and she'd fought a hard battle to prevent that from happening.

Unsurprisingly, the years of torture haunted her sleep. The repetitive dreams that had previously driven her to so much desperation and despair were once again waiting for her in the darkness behind her eyelids. Needles full of narcotics, fists that beat their victims endlessly into submission, testing, always testing how much she could take. The unbearable probes entering her mind, chained down, refusing to comply, screaming until her throat was raw, strapped to the table, the knife entering her flesh.

She screamed and sat bolt upright, breathing heavily.

"Hey, hey, hey," Miguel sat on the bed in front of her and took her face into his hands. "Look at me, look at me," he whispered soothingly, "You're ok, you're alright." He gently wiped the tears from under her eyes and stroked her hair behind her ear.

"Thank you," she whispered as he handed her a glass of water, holding it steady in her shaking hands. Once she'd taken a few sips, he placed it back on the table.

"You scare me when you do that," he said.

"Sorry," she said sadly, "What time is it?"

"Evening, I just finished watch. A bunch of us are going to watch some crappy movies in A-lounge – fancy joining us?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "Miguel I can't walk."

She'd begun to get some feeling back, but was no-where near being able to move. Wendy had been trying to get her out of bed but, stubbornly, she wasn't interested. Seeing her struggling, Miguel had been determined to do something to get her up and about; he wanted the old Beth back. However, Wendy had warned him that after what she'd been through she might not ever be the same person he remembered. But he and Jim refused to give up.

He got up and walked to the other side of med-bay, unfolded a wheelchair and pushed it over to the bed, receiving only an infuriated look in return.

"You're not going to get any better in bed," he said firmly.

"I know that, I just need more time," she pleaded. "This is a big deal for me."

"A big deal for _you_?" he laughed dryly.

"What do you want me to say? What is it you want me to do? This is the way I am. If I could change it I would, believe me, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"You could have been honest," he replied, sternly.

She watched him carefully, attempting to judge his emotions. "Now that you do know, you still haven't told me how you feel about it," she said.

"I haven't told you because I don't know," he said sternly. "Besides, couldn't you just read my mind or something?"

Beth snapped her head up, glaring at him. "I wouldn't do that, its invasion of privacy," she barked, offended. "Besides, it's not like I need to read your mind to know what you're thinking – it's written all over your face," she bristled, defensively.

"Then why'd you bother asking?"

"Because I wanted you to say it!" she said, her tone turning to anger. "I wanted you to say it to my face – that you think I'm some freak! You're scared of me aren't you?" she asked, boldly, staring intently at him through the silence, waiting for an answer.

He turned to her sharply, with a sound of frustration between a sigh and a growl. "What scares me more is the thought of not seeing you smile like you used to," he answered, completely dodging her question. "You're not the same person that walked away from here three years ago."

"I _am _the same person!"

"No! You're not!" he yelled, exasperated. "And neither am I!"

Beth seared with self-loathing. There were obvious reasons why she didn't tell people what she was. Perhaps things might have been different if she'd been honest in the first place and he'd had a chance to get used to the truth. But now, all he knew was the researcher he'd met three years ago; only she was still that researcher – he just didn't see her that way. '_Why do I have to be like this? What reason did they have to create such a freak? What is the purpose of it all? Why is he bothering to look out for me if he feels this way?_' She'd seen the same fear and apprehension in Lucas' face too. The only person who didn't treat her any differently was Jim, and she wished he were there.

"I'll come another night," she said flatly, answering his initial question.

"You're just going to sit here by yourself?" Miguel said, losing patience. Despite his best intentions, her cold demeanour and reclusive attitude towards him were wearing him down.

"Yes Miguel, I'm just going to sit here by myself," she mocked, "Just go!"

"Fine, whatever," he shrugged and walked away without so much as a backward glance.

Beth stared after him, her hurt and frustration threatening to boil over. Being the closest object, the jug of water on the table felt the full force of her emotions as she released her tension on it, sending it hurling across the room at full force with her mind. It smashed into the opposite wall and landed on the ground in a myriad of shards. Beth realised that was exactly how her life felt. And she wished desperately she could put everything back together again.

***

Miguel stalked into A-Lounge alone, receiving a questioning glance from Jim.

"She wouldn't come," Miguel growled and sat down next to the others.

"Bull to that!" Jim retorted. He stood up and pounded the corridors to med-bay. As he walked into the room, his boots crunched on the glistening glass remains, and he lifted his head to see Beth sitting in bed with tears streaming down her face.

"I couldn't control it," she cried.

In two strides he had crossed the room and seated himself on the bed in front of her. With tenderness, he wrapped her in his arms and held her as her body racked with sobs. Her fear and self-hatred projected forcefully from her and jarred his mind. He braced himself against it, struggling against its' ferocity.

"Beth, you need to put your walls up, I can feel everything," he told her.

"I can't control it," she sobbed.

"Just try. I'm not going anywhere," he reassured, holding her close, his mind close to bursting point.

"Jim, I'm so tired."

"I know, I know," he soothed, "but you've got to try. Just focus and relax. Bring those walls back up."

Gently, he rocked her back and forth, as her breathing returned to normal. The pressure on his mind gradually lessened until he could no longer feel her emotions streaming through him.

"Good girl," he said.

Still holding on tight, she mumbled into his chest, "I don't know what to do anymore," she croaked. "_Why _are people so narrow minded?" she blurted, angrily.

"Are we talking about any _people_ in particular here?"

"Does it matter?"

Jim smiled, trying not to let his amusement show. "Try to put yourself in their shoes. If they ever thought they'd see you again, this is about as far from what they'd expected as you can get. You just need to pick yourself up, like you did last time. And you start by not hiding away – you need to face it, head on." He pulled her away to look at him. "You don't have to stay long – just one movie."

"Just hold me for a while," she pleaded.

He smiled with affection and tucked her head under his chin, rhythmically stroking her hair while holding her close. Her vulnerability shocked him. Even having known about her while they were kids, it was still very seldom that she opened up to him about things, and even more seldom that she so openly displayed her pain. In fact, he couldn't even remember seeing her cry before.

"You alright?" he asked after a while. "You don't have to stay long – I promise. Just give it a chance. Besides, unless I get a little help, Piccolo is going to hog all the popcorn," he joked.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Beth stifled a smile and reluctantly agreed.

He watched sympathetically as she pulled herself into a long dressing gown and fought her overgrown brown waves back into a ponytail. It was difficult to watch her struggling so much to do such simple things when he'd always remembered her as being strong and capable.

Once she was ready, he picked her up and placed her in the wheelchair, before pushing her out along the deck. All her attention was focused on the sights and sounds of the new boat, as they travelled through the halls.

He wondered how different it was from the old seaQuest, and felt a sudden wave of jealousy that she'd met the crew before he did. When he'd first been assigned to the boat he'd had to work hard to be accepted by the crew. But now he felt like this was his territory and was slightly resentful that someone else was muzzling in on it. Almost immediately, he realised that Beth could quite easily be having the same thought. This crew and this boat were as much her territory as his in a way. It was just a situation they'd both have to adapt to.

As they arrived in the lounge, Miguel felt a sharp pang of guilt at her appearance. She looked terrible, and had quite clearly been crying heavily – no doubt as a result of their conversation. He awkwardly ignored her presence, completely at a loss as to how to cope with the situation.

Jim settled Beth into a chair among everyone, and introduced her, formally, to the new members of the crew.

"Oh, excuse me," Tony laughed, apologising for his sticky hand, covered in pieces of popcorn.

Beth thanked Dagwood for the flowers by her bedside and he felt his cheeks redden, but wasn't really sure why. He thought Beth was Miguel's friend, but it seemed that Lucas and Brody knew her too.

Lonnie offered her a drink and she took it gratefully, gulping the fruit juice down in seconds.

"Thirsty?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," she gasped. "I'm sick of water." She glanced around and caught sight of Miguel looking at her. He immediately rolled his eyes away, bristling with tension. Her attention was diverted as the lights were dimmed and the movie started – an old '90's classic – Terminator 2.

Dagwood looked over at Beth. Miguel had told him that she was different, like him, but she didn't look like him, she just looked like everybody else, so he didn't know how she could be like him. The only thing he recognised was the scared expression she often wore, one he recognised as his own. Like she wanted to be like them but knew she wasn't. He understood that. She seemed friendly. He liked that she thanked him for the flowers. And she didn't look scared all the time. Sometimes she smiled and looked happy to be with them. She smiled more when there were people around. Like just now, when she and Brody were fighting Lucas for the popcorn.

Lucas had been sitting happily with the bowl of popcorn in his lap, munching noisily until Jim slapped him on the back.

He turned innocently with a questioning expression on his face and Jim gestured for him to hand the bowl over. The corners of Dagwood's mouth turned up as he watched Lucas grow more frustrated at Jim and Beth helping themselves to handfuls of the delicious, sweet, crunchy delicacy.

Beth picked up a piece of popcorn from the bowl and threw it at him. He reached for a piece to retaliate and laughed as Beth batted his hand away from the bowl. He sat glaring at her until she relented and handed the bowl back to him.

'_That looks like a good game,'_ Dagwood thought to himself and lobbed a piece off Tony's head.

"Hey! What you playin' at?" Tony asked in his New York drawl.

Dagwood simply smiled. Sometimes Tony was no fun. He wondered whether Darwin would like the popcorn game.

Halfway through the film Miguel noticed Beth's head flopping forwards. Jim had also noticed her struggle to stay awake and reached across to take her hand, which she squeezed gratefully. It wasn't long after that her head flopped forwards permanently. Jim put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her head down to rest on him.

Lonnie looked over at them and raised her eyebrows in question. '_Just leave her,_' he mouthed.

Miguel watched Beth asleep in Jim's arms and compassion instinctively flooded his veins, remembering the last time he'd held her. Jim caught his glance and, again, he quickly looked away.

Dagwood noticed the exchange of glances between them. Miguel looked angry. Perhaps he was annoyed because Beth was still sick and she shouldn't be up so late. Contented with that conclusion, he turned his attention back to the movie. He liked the motorbike; he wished he had a motorbike. Maybe if they could find a helmet big enough to fit his head.

When the movie finished, and the lights came back on, everyone slowly got up and made their way back to their quarters for the night. Miguel left without a word with Tim chasing swiftly after him.

"What's his deal?" Tony asked.

"I think he's still worried about Beth," Dagwood said. "He kept looking at her while the movie was on," he added innocently.

"The guy misses nothing," Tony remarked.

Jim and Lonnie smiled in amusement. He carefully picked Beth back up out of the chair, while Lonnie pushed over the wheelchair so he could set her in it. She still slept soundly.

"I'll walk with you," Lonnie offered.

"Thanks," Jim nodded, appreciatively, and they walked companionably along the corridors together.

***

Tim slammed shut the door to Miguel's room.

"I don't get it!" he said, frustrated, "Why are you behaving like this?"

"I don't want to get into this," Miguel retorted.

"Tough – I do. I thought you cared about her."

Miguel turned on him, ready to strike, and checked himself. "_I do!_" he strained, "This is just crazy! I don't know what she expects from me."

"She expects you to be her friend and not give up on her."

"I am NOT giving up on her!" Miguel shouted, running his hands through his hair.

"Is it guilt? Is that what this is? Guilt for letting her go?"

The door burst open behind them and Jim walked in. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"Not now, Lieutenant," Miguel pleaded, his temper fraying.

"Why not? Now's as good a time as any. What's going on with you?"

"I'm leaving you two to sort this out," Tim said and made a hasty exit, listening to their raised voices all the way along the corridor.

"So?" Jim persisted.

"What?!?" Miguel asked, turning his back.

"Beth is struggling enough as it is without you adding to it," Jim told him.

Miguel simply rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't know what went on between you two…"

"No, you don't!"

"…but whatever it was I know you care for her. So what's the problem?"

"I can't…think about this right now – it's too big, it's too…_complicated_," Miguel sighed.

"Complicated? You're the only thing that's complicating the situation. Get a hold of yourself, Ortiz. She needs support; you can either be there or not." He slammed the door behind him on the way out.

Miguel turned, confused and full of unexpressed emotion, and punched the wall behind him. He swallowed a curse as he nursed his hand, and sank down onto his bunk. His thoughts were all over the place. Every time he looked at Beth he saw two women – the Beth he'd grown so close to three years ago, and the stranger he barely recognised. He just couldn't figure out how to feel.

***

As far as getting Beth back on her feet was concerned, physical therapy was the priority. Wendy worked out a regime, consisting of daily trips to the moon pool where, while being supported by various volunteers from the crew, she was forced to exercise her legs. Each day one of them would wheel her through from med-bay and help carry her into the moon pool. Usually Jim was the first to volunteer, but when he wasn't available, Tony, Lonnie, Lucas and Jonathan were also keen to help out.

The first time Tony had come along to help, she'd been shocked to see the artificial gills on the side of his body.

"See? You're not the only freak on this boat," he'd told her.

She'd cling to the side of the pool and try as hard as she could to kick her legs, while Darwin swam merrily around her.

For days all she could do was float helplessly, feeling humiliated and demoralised. Her defiance and stubborn streak pushed everyone to the end of their tether, prompting Jim to abandon her in the middle of the pool until she would relent and agree to at least try the exercises.

"This isn't working!!" she sulked, floating alone, while he sat on the edge with Wendy, waiting for her to back down.

"This is getting us no-where," Wendy sighed.

"It's not gonna work if you don't try!" Jim retorted.

"What's the point in trying if it's not going to lead anywhere?"

"You're not a kid anymore, smart ass! I'm not gonna be around forever to push you around in that contraption. If you want to get back on your feet – suck it up! Get over it!"

There was silence in the room as Jim's last sentiment echoed around its' walls.

"Fine," Beth responded, quietly.

"What was that?" Jim asked, teasing.

"I said FINE!!" she bellowed.

After the initial arguments and stumbling blocks, the regime began to work and she regained a little movement. Progress came a lot quicker after that, but her heart still didn't seem to be in it – despite the encouragement of those around her.

The only person she knew who didn't come to visit her was Miguel. She'd see him occasionally passing through the corridors. He would smile politely, ask how she was getting on, and then walk on by, as if she barely existed. She tried to push thoughts of him to the back of her mind and concentrate instead on getting better.

Wendy watched their behaviour with increasing concern. The friction between them was clearly hindering Beth's recovery, but she was as determined not to talk about it as she was stubborn about her recovery program. With no other options available, Wendy turned to Miguel, approaching him in the mess hall one evening to talk to him about the situation.

"How's Beth?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Wendy snipped, receiving only an unimpressed glare in return. "She's doing ok. She's obstinate, so she's struggling, but with help she'll get there."

Miguel breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," he said.

"Why don't you come and help out?" she asked.

"You said yourself, she's doing ok. I've got work to do, and she's got plenty of help, she doesn't need me," he answered. Wendy caught him throw Jim an ugly glance.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, amused.

"_What_?" Miguel snapped.

"Are you jealous of the history between Beth and Brody?" she repeated.

"It's illegal to read my mind without my consent, Doctor," he growled.

"I'm not reading your mind, I'm reading the obvious."

He slammed his cup down on the table, angry at the personal intrusion. "Give her my best," he snapped coldly and walked away.

Wendy frowned. It wasn't the resolution she'd hoped for, and not the reaction she'd expected from someone usually so mild-mannered. Still eager for answers, she turned to Lucas.

"What exactly happened between them?" she asked.

"I don't really know. They were close, but then Doctor Briers died and she left."

"How close?"

"Close enough that he still has a picture of her in his room." Lucas answered. "I've seen it."

***

He wasn't entirely sure why Doctor Smith had called him to the moon pool, but he had a pretty good idea, and he wasn't entirely thrilled about it.

His suspicions were confirmed when he entered the room to find Beth floating on her back at the far end of the moon pool, with Wendy swimming alongside, and Lucas goading from the other side of the pool.

"I bet Tony you couldn't swim an entire length," he teased.

"Lucas, shut-up!" she yelled.

He simply rolled his eyes, used to her retorts by now, and looked up to find Miguel towering over him.

"You asked to see me?" Miguel asked.

"I could do with your help in the water. There was no one else available today," Wendy told him.

He was less than amused, but nodded and walked away to get changed. What business this was of anyone else, he didn't know. But it was bound to have happened eventually. You can only go so long avoiding someone on a sub. That's precisely why he'd always promised himself not to get involved with anyone onboard.

Once he'd climbed into the water and swum over to join them, Wendy took his arm and placed it under Beth's body.

"If you could support her back, yeah, like that. Ok, I'll see you later," she smiled, and began to swim away, much to the disgust of Beth and Miguel.

Lucas, who was in on the scheme, simply shrugged and walked away with Wendy. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked her.

"Can you think of anything else?" she replied.

Miguel kept his hands on Beth's back; gently supporting her from beneath, trying to ignore the thoughts the physical contact were reawakening.

Beside him, she floated helplessly, embarrassed. "This is ridiculous," she blurted, angrily. "You obviously don't want to be here."

"Don't shout."

"Why?"

"Because I _do_ want to help," he told her, "It's just not that simple."

She laughed, dryly, pushing his hands away from her, and rolled onto her belly to pull herself, frustrated, across the pool. On reaching the other side, Darwin surfaced next to her and she held onto him to keep from going under.

"You want to help? You've got a funny way of showing it!" she shouted.

"I can't help the way I feel!" he insisted. "Besides, did you see what you just did?"

Beth took stock of where she was. "So what?" she said, nonplussed, trying to conceal her joy.

"Do that again," he encouraged her.

"I don't think I can."

"Come on."

"Beth swim," Darwin added.

They both looked at each other, their anger cooled, and smiled tentatively.

She bit her lip and gingerly pushed off from the edge of the pool, kicking her legs slowly and swinging her arms. Before she knew it, Miguel's arms were around her. She lifted her head up in surprise and embarrassment at suddenly being so close to him. "I didn't use my legs enough," was all she could say, despite the fact it was more than she'd used them since she'd come aboard.

"It's a start," he encouraged. "You just needed someone to wind you up."

Darwin nudged her and she grabbed onto him, slipping away from Miguel and allowing Darwin to pull her to the edge of the pool again.

Miguel swam after them, pausing by the edge. "Do you need a hand getting out?"

"Yeah, please," she nodded, shyly.

Gently, he slipped his arms under her legs and carefully climbed out of the pool. After placing her in the wheelchair, he fetched two towels, wrapped one around Beth, and used the other to dry himself quickly, grinning shyly at her the whole time.

"What're you smiling at?" she asked

"You," he answered, "You're doing better than you think." His expression grew serious. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you lately. And just so you know – I don't think you're some freak. I just need some time," he explained.

She gazed at him solemnly, grateful for his admission, but deeply disappointed with the way things had turned out. "It's ok, I understand," she reassured him. All her life people had been disgusted with her because of who she was. Why should he be any different?

***

Within days of her newfound mobility, Beth had permanently ditched her wheelchair in favour of crutches, which meant she could join her friends for meals in the mess hall and regain some semblance of a social life. She was also able to enjoy their company more now that she and Miguel had reached some kind of fragile understanding. Their friendship was strained, but not as unbearable as it had been before.

As extra exercise, Wendy encouraged her to regularly walk the length of the ship several times over to build up strength in her legs, and so it became her regular evening activity.

Most of the time she hobbled along by herself with music for company, but occasionally Jim or Lucas joined her. Jim was always pushing her on; his competitive nature spurred her on and challenged her.

"Are you tired?" he asked her one evening as they walked.

Although trying desperately to deny it, her legs couldn't go much further, but she wasn't about to give in to the cocky Lieutenant.

"I'm fine," she grimaced and continued onwards.

"Alright," Jim raised his hands and followed her onwards. With Beth, some days were better than others. She expected miracles and as such, was disappointed every morning she woke up and realised her legs hadn't healed overnight. Her impatience fuelled an angry temper, a temper Jim always seemed to feel the bite of.

Certain things had always come naturally to her, strength and agility being but two of them, so it was understandable that she resented the slow road to recovery. But what the rest of the crew perceived as impatience, Jim knew was underlain by fear. She'd lost the basic ability to defend herself, something she'd always relied on, and not only physically, but mentally too, as she revealed to him that night in his quarters.

"I think that toxin affected my abilities too," she admitted.

"Affected how?"

"I barely hear people anymore."

"Be careful with that Beth, there are laws against that kind of thing," he warned and took another sip of his coffee.

"I am careful," she insisted, "but it's not just that. For the first time since I was young, I have to _really_ concentrate to do the smallest of things."

Jim looked at her, expecting more. A metallic clink caught his attention and he looked down to see the spoon on his plate lift into the air momentarily before falling back down with another clink. He looked up at Beth, who was visually struggling. Small beads of sweat gathered on her temples. She gave up and slammed her fist down on the arm of the chair.

"Take it easy, that's a good chair," he said. "It'll come back, just give it time."

"What if I don't have time?" she exclaimed.

"Then I've got your back, just like always."

She nodded reluctantly and slumped back in the chair. Letting her guard down and admitting weakness was the one thing that didn't come naturally. That involved letting other people look out for her, opening herself up, and exposing herself to harm, and she didn't like it one bit.

She rested her head on her hand and looked around Jim's quarters. Various photos sat on his desk, including one of him and his grandparents. Young life had been difficult for him, not having parents around. Though full of love and support, his grandparents were no substitute for the real thing when it came to parents evening at school, or for the father and son picnic. Like Beth, Jim had built his own walls, walls that eventually drove him away to the Academy and to war.

"Did you know I'd been here?" she asked him, "On the seaQuest?"

"Yeah, I heard your name mentioned, saw a few pictures, read about the reserve."

"But you didn't tell anyone you knew me? Or try to contact me?"

"You were alive, that's all I needed to know. Besides, you knew where I was and you didn't get in touch," he said, edgily.

"I couldn't have, you know that."

"I know," he sighed. "I never gave up," he added.

"What?"

"I never stopped looking," he admitted. "But even when I was assigned to Section 7, I still couldn't dig anything up. I knew you were probably dead but, I still kept trying." He paused to run his finger round the rim of his cup, chasing the drops of liquid that had escaped down the edge.

"I didn't think you would," she said appreciatively. "Don't you think it's funny?" she asked a moment later.

"What's funny?"

"How you ended up on the G.E.L.F. colony. I mean considering your past connection to me."

"Yeah, yeah I guess it is in a way," he admitted. "I guess I understood them."

Beth nodded. "I was sorry to hear about your mum," she said sadly, after a while. "I would have liked to meet her."

"Maybe someday."

"Yeah, maybe someday," she agreed. "I remember your grandpa said that to you when you first told him you wanted to be a soldier."

"They weren't pleased were they?" he smiled.

"Not exactly."

"It didn't help that you had all these grand dreams of becoming a scientist. Grandma would always use you as an example."

"I can't help that she had a soft spot for me."

Jim gave a low growl, "Get out of here you kiss ass, I'm tired."

Beth laughed and gave a mock salute. Jim sealed the door shut after her. As much as it was nice to reminisce, he was the one who had to get up for work in the morning, a fact she tended to forget.

Keen to avoid the nightmares that awaited her in sleep, she was quite happy to wander the halls, music blaring loudly, anything to distract her from the encroaching darkness of her dreams.

***

With a heavy heart, Nathan slumped into the embarrassingly familiar leather seat and turned on the holographic projector. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd been in this chamber, consulting his friend, the 'old man', on any number of things. The flickering image focused and a mellow voice rang out in greeting.

"Nathan," Professor Martenson said.

"Professor," Nathan greeted.

"You sound stressed."

"I am, that's why I'm here."

"Then how can I be of service?"

Nathan looked at the hologram and sighed. "Do you have any information in your memory that relates to the B.E.T.H. genetics scheme?"

"The Bio-Engineered Telekinetic Human project. After its abandonment in 1998, the U.N. had all records of the project destroyed for fear of others following in its footsteps. The premise behind the project was simple – to manipulate and enhance naturally occurring psychic abilities. By the mid-1990's, psychics possessing an above average level of power were becoming more and more common. Some scientists believed this was a natural stage of evolution, necessary for the survival of the human race, and others blamed genetic mutations caused by high levels of chemicals in our environment. Following on from this, a team of scientists, under private funding, attempted to isolate the genes responsible for providing psychic abilities."

"Were they successful?"

"According to popular press, no. But according to my memory, yes they were. Having achieved their goal, the scientists went one step further by tweaking the genetic code of embryos with psychic parents in the hope that they could effectively create an 'advanced' human. Any further information has been erased."

Nathan looked away from the hologram. Although the Professor couldn't see him, he had no desire to look into those eyes with such confusion showing plainly on his face.

"If they had been successful, how powerful would this human be? How dangerous?"

"I cannot answer that, there are too many variables."

"Hypothesise."

"I cannot," the Professor paused, "Why the sudden interest in this project, Nathan?"

Through gritted teeth, Nathan answered him, "I have the finished article aboard my ship, and I need to know what to do with her," he admitted.

"The finished article being the B.E.T.H.?"

"Yes."

"I see. Do you believe her to be dangerous?"

"I don't know yet."

"You're a Captain, Nathan. I don't need to tell you that if there is the slightest chance she poses a risk to the boat or the crew, she should be off-loaded."

"But she's my responsibility," Nathan said reluctantly, "Three years ago, I was asked to look out for her, and I believe this is the safest place for her to be. I also promised her that she would always have a place on my crew if she wanted it."

"You cannot allow personal promises to interfere with your duties as Captain of the seaQuest," Martenson scolded.

"I'm aware of that, thank you!" Nathan bit back.

"You're allowing this to overwhelm you, Nathan."

"Yes, because I want to do what's best for _everyone_."

"You have to decide what's best for your boat, Captain."

Nathan sighed in frustration. Apparently this was one situation the Professor wasn't going to be able to shed light on. He turned off the hologram and sat in the soothing darkness of the chamber. He'd been putting off this decision ever since Beth came onboard, but now she was making remarkable progress, it was time to confront the situation. In his heart he didn't believe she was a threat and, in fact, believed she would make a valuable addition to the science contingent aboard the boat. There was only one person who could tell what was going on inside her head, and at this time of night, she'd probably be in her quarters. He placed a call to her personal communicator.

"Doctor Smith?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like you to meet me in med-bay if you would," Nathan told her and signed off.

The slow, relaxed rise and fall of Beth's chest belied the turmoil raging inside.

"It's not often you find her sleeping so soundly," Wendy said.

In fact it was incredibly lucky that the one night Nathan wanted her to conduct a deep mind probe, Beth wasn't wandering the halls. Instead she was sprawled out, exhausted in bed.

"In your own time, Doctor," Nathan encouraged her.

She'd already expressed her reluctance at entering that hostile arena again, but they needed to know what was going on in Beth's mind, and so with trepidation and a deep breath, she merged their two conscious minds together and began exploring. When she eventually emerged 20 minutes later, battered and weary, she only had two words for Nathan.

"There's nothing," she panted.

Nathan looked at her solemnly and nodded. That was all he needed to know.

***

With Jim and her own determination spurring her on, Beth's stint on crutches didn't last long either. It was a long and frustrating journey, but with more exercise, her legs were able to take her weight and so, three weeks after coming onboard, she was finally able to walk unaided again.

Jim was nothing short of speechless when she walked, unaided, into his quarters one evening.

"Look at you!" he smiled and gave her a warm embrace.

"I'll be running laps around you in no time," she grinned.

"And what about?" he asked tentatively.

Beth knew what he was alluding to, "They're getting there too," she said.

Now fully mobile, she also came to the decision that she'd accept the Captain's offer to become a permanent member of the science staff. It hadn't taken much thought; the seaQuest was really the only place left for her.

Nathan agreed with her decision, and offered her something more in return. "How would you feel about taking the position as assistant Chief Scientist?" he asked, as they stood face to face in his room.

"Uh, I'm a little under-qualified," she stammered.

"You don't need qualifications to run a lab," he insisted. "You've worked here before, you know how things work. You learned from the best," he smiled.

Beth couldn't help but agree. Kristin had been quite a workhorse.

"It would mean extra responsibility. Having a place on the senior staff means you're not just responsible for projects, but people too." He watched her as she weighed the pros and cons. "I think you can handle it."

"I wish I was so sure."

"Come on now," he chided her. "Where'd that fiery attitude go?"

"You mean the one that's landed me in hot water so many times?"

"That's the one," he smiled.

She smiled along with him. "It's still there, I assure you. But I haven't done research in over two years, so…"

"You don't want to be thrown in at the deep end?"

"Yeah, I guess that's what I'm getting at."

"Well, I appreciate where you're coming from, but I still think you can handle it. And I think you need the challenge. Circumstances haven't been easy since you came aboard. You could do with the distraction. And we could always do with the extra pair of hands."

She nodded, thoughtfully, still unsure.

"Is there something else?" he asked, noticing her distant expression.

"I'm not sure how well it would be received by the crew," she admitted.

Nathan sighed. "The thought had crossed my mind also."

She cocked her head, surprised to hear that.

"It's an issue – I admit that. But it's an issue we'll all adjust to. I for one am glad I know the truth. It explains a lot." He paused, still waiting for an answer. "What are your thoughts? Did I mention you'll have your own room?"

A small smile escaped, brought on by the appealing prospect of having some privacy aboard the boat. A solitary med-bay was no match for private quarters. "I'm thinking that if I accept this, I hope I don't prove you wrong," she said, nervously.

"I don't believe you will, Miss Allen. Can I take that as a yes?"

She laughed, unintentionally. "Yes, that's a yes."

She had to admit that the thought of having her own room and privacy were enough of an allure in itself. She just hoped she'd be able to live up to the standards she'd set for herself all those years ago.

***

Nathan flinched as a knock came at his door.

"Yes?" he barked, gruffly.

Jonathan stepped into the room and took in the sight of the Captain hunched over at his desk, his head in his hands.

"Is everything alright, Sir?" he asked.

Nathan turned his head and nodded. He signalled for Jonathan to sit with him. "How do you feel about my appointing Miss Allen as assistant Chief of the science staff?"

Jonathan paused, "She has the necessary experience."

"But you don't agree with my decision?"

"Permission to speak off the record, Sir?"

Nathan looked at his first officer appraisingly, "Permission granted."

"I'm wary, Sir. I can't help but wonder whether having her on board is a risk to the boat and the crew." There was silence between them. "Have you informed the UEO?"

Nathan shook his head. "I've told them that she's been appointed as a new member of the science staff – nothing more. I'm having Smith carry out daily psychiatric examinations."

"And?"

"And besides being a little frightened, she seems _stable_," Nathan said. Jonathan rolled his eyes. "We have to remember she's still human and she didn't ask for this."

"I know that Sir, but we're dealing with something completely new and potentially dangerous."

"Alright, I hear you point of view, Commander!" Nathan snapped.

"Sorry, Sir." He paused. "Sir, I like Beth as much as the next person, but first and foremost I'm the Commander on this boat. I'm just afraid of what might happen if we let our guard down."

"I had Doctor Smith do a deep scan…and there was no sign of any implanted material. She's not under any control."

"Alright," Jonathan said with scepticism. Nathan looked up sharply at the other man. It wasn't often that the reserved Captain revealed his emotions, but with that single gesture, Jonathan saw all the internal conflict that was plaguing him.

"Jonathan, I was asked to look out for her. Now, seeing how she poses no immediate danger to the crew, I believe it's in her best interests to remain with us," Nathan said sharply.

Jonathan weighed the situation for a moment. The Beth he and the others knew was a conscientious and hard working individual, who, when she wasn't on her high horse about something, was compassionate with those around her. Although wary of her abilities, he knew Wendy was able to see the truth in people's minds, so if she didn't see a threat in Beth, it was likely there were none. "Then I agree with, and will stand by your decision, Sir," Jonathan told him, "But we're never really going to know until she proves herself one way or the other." He paused, noticing the Captain's thoughtful expression. "Another thing if I may, Sir?"

"Go ahead, Commander."

"You're aware of the tension between Ortiz and Miss Allen?"

"I haven't witnessed it first hand, but yes, I'm aware of it. What about it?"

"Chief Ortiz is the best sonar operator in the fleet, he's our eyes and ears. We can't afford to have him distracted."

"From what I've seen, Mr Ortiz has done nothing to suggest Miss Allen's presence will affect his work. He's been nothing but professional. Have you seen anything to suggest the contrary?"

"He showed some pretty major disrespect to a senior officer when she first came aboard. He's lucky Brody didn't throw him in the brig."

"From what I hear, they were both as bad as each other," Nathan quipped.

Jonathan smiled in amusement, "Be that as it may, that's two of our senior staff behaving unprofessionally towards each other. I won't tolerate that under my watch."

"Give them the benefit of the doubt, Commander. We'll deal with the situation as and when it arises. Until then, let's just see how things go," Nathan told him.

***

Despite her earlier misgivings and apprehensions, it didn't take long for Beth to settle back into a routine in the labs. It took a little bit more work to get her head round all the projects onboard, but she relished getting back into research.

To her disappointment, Nathan felt it was too risky for her to rejoin the management of the _Briers-Allen _Marine Reserve. He'd said it would be like 'placing a bone in front of a dog and expecting him to ignore it,' and he wasn't willing to take that risk with his crew. So instead, she helped co-ordinate all the existing research onboard. One project she was particularly excited about involved comparing the disease resistance of fish species exposed to aquaculture chemicals to those from open water. She was trying to use a program to analyse the data, but was running into problems.

"Lucas, I can't get this program to open," she said, frustrated.

Lucas walked over to the console and looked at the screen. "Have you uploaded it?"

She gave him an unimpressed look.

"You have a new user account, the program isn't going to be there unless you upload it," he said, amused. He quickly fixed the problem and the program flashed into life.

"Oh."

"All the software is a little different on this boat, it takes a bit of getting used to," Lucas reassured. He looked over to find her staring at him. "What?" he asked.

She looked sidelong at the 18 year old. Relatively speaking, not much time had passed since they'd last seen each other, but in that time Lucas had developed a maturity that complimented his character.

"You've grown up," she stated.

Lucas breathed a laugh. "Thanks, I think," he said, running his hand through his floppy hair.

"I hear you've had a rough time lately," she commented.

"Who'd you hear that from?" he snapped.

"Jim, Lonnie, Tim."

"Right."

"I'm glad the Captain didn't accept your resignation," she said honestly, "It wouldn't be the same without you here."

"He should have," Lucas sighed and walked away. Frustration and regret loomed heavy on him. This was one error in judgement he was quite obviously finding hard to come to terms with. "I should have been reprimanded at least. I almost handed the seaQuest over to terrorists for god sakes!"

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Beth assured him.

"How would you know? You weren't even there."

Beth sighed, "You know in Junior High, I had this enormous crush on a guy named Roger Banks."

"Roger Banks? What does this have to do with anything?"

"Just listen, alright? He, of course, was one of the 'popular' kids. He was athletic, good looking, dashing smile, always had girls hanging on his every word, and I loved him…or at least I thought I did," she smiled. "I knew that he was way out of my league, as Jim kept reminding me, but, as you do, I never stopped hoping that one day he'd look past all those shallow girls and see me. And you know what? One day he did. He strolled up to me one lunchtime and asked me out."

"What?" Lucas exclaimed, "Where is this going?"

"Just listen," she groaned. "So that Friday night I spent hours getting ready for our date. I thought I looked a million dollars and almost flew down the stairs when the bell rang. The date was amazing. The whole time I had to pinch myself because Roger Banks was actually interested in what I had to say. He dropped me off at my house and in true romantic style he gave me a peck on the lips."

Lucas grimaced at the thought.

"Mid-kiss I could hear sniggering coming from the road. His friends were all lined up laughing and taking photos. I couldn't understand why, so I let my curiosity take hold and I read his mind." She looked down sadly, "His friends had challenged him to ask out the biggest dork in school, and he chose me."  
Lucas stood in silence. "I still don't see why that's relevant."

"My point is Lucas, that even when we have the ability to see the truth, we're blinded by what we want the truth to be. You were in love with her and so you saw that she was in love with you too, because that's how you wanted things to be."

Understanding took hold and eased Lucas' conscience. "So, you were a dork?"

"Hey! Look who's talking," Beth retorted, "Just don't punish yourself for having an open and honest heart," she insisted.

"You mean like you?" he quipped.

"What?"

"You're closing yourself off because of Ortiz."

Beth scowled at him and turned back to the computer. "That's different," she said, "Miguel and I have issues."

"The principle is still the same. If I shouldn't punish myself for what those people did, then you shouldn't be punishing yourself for the way Ortiz is acting."

"The pupil becomes the teacher," she laughed.

"You needed to hear it as much as I did. The rest of us are coming to terms with it," he nodded towards Beth's steaming mug of hot chocolate, with the spoon stirring the liquid by itself. "He will too," Lucas reassured.

Beth cupped her hand over the mug, stopping the spoon and nodded in agreement.

"You're definitely staying this time though, right?" he asked, "Grumpy Ortiz and all?"

Beth nodded, "Yeah I'm definitely staying."

"Great," he said, "and thanks."

***

The relationship between Miguel and Beth, although comfortable professionally, remained otherwise uneasy. He'd said he needed time, but Beth had also sensed he needed space, so she tried to avoid him as much as possible. Miguel noticed this and couldn't help but feel guilt. He was keeping her at arms length and he still didn't really know why. His feelings for her hadn't changed since they'd parted three years ago. Only now they were complicated by circumstances he didn't understand or know how to deal with. So he continued to push his thoughts to the back of his mind, hoping they'd resolve themselves somehow. Even so, he often secretly stopped by the lab or the moon pool to see her. He would stand and watch as she sat on the edge of the pool swinging her legs in the water, or played with Darwin and Lucas. The other day he even caught her dancing along to Lucas' music player and he'd smiled at the sight.

Things between them weren't helped by the arrival of singer Sarah Toenin. Miguel resented having to show her round. The fact she was an environmentalist didn't help matters either. With his head in so many places, the last thing he wanted was to be forced into female company, let alone company who would remind him of something he'd rather not think about. But she wasn't what he'd expected, and he'd found himself won-over by her carefree attitude.

Everyone had noticed the instant attraction between them and perhaps he should have felt guilty about flaunting it, but he was enjoying the welcome distraction. Guilt hadn't been an issue until it almost literally jumped out at him as he left Sarah's room one evening. He braced himself for the awkward face-off.

Beth cleared her throat, just as surprised to see him. "How's Sarah?" she gestured towards the door.

"Good," Miguel answered awkwardly.

"Great," she smiled thinly and tried to pass him.

He grabbed her arm, not willing to let her go so easily. "Have you been avoiding me?" he asked, looking concerned.

"You said you needed some time, and you've been busy," she nodded in the direction of Sarah's door.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to see you," he said, "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, actually. Good old legs haven't let me down yet," she smiled.

"No, I noticed – you're quite the little mover," he teased.

"What?"

"I, uh, I saw you dancing around the lab the other day."

"Great." Unless he was mistaken, a slight flush spread across her cheeks. She tried to hide it by pulling her hair out from behind her ears, but it had definitely been there.

"Yup – full blown booty shaking, and on a military vessel too – you ought to be ashamed."

"A research and exploration vessel actually," she teased.

"Oh, I stand corrected," he raised his arms in defence.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked

"I was too busy enjoying the show," he laughed.

Beth threw him a playful punch, dissolving his expectations of awkwardness entirely. She was becoming more and more like her old self each day, which did nothing to ease his still confused mind.

Their paths crossed again later that evening as the crew gathered for Sarah's impromptu concert. With the exception of Jim's groaning, the music had gone down well, until things took a turn no one had been expecting.

Ever the vigilant gentleman, Miguel had been at Sarah's side the moment she hit the deck and had remained there, faithfully, until she recovered.

It was the kind of person he was, and Beth knew that, yet the uncontrollable pangs and jealous thoughts still raged through her. She tried to remind herself that she had no right to feel the way she did – that she had no claim over him. But something inside relentlessly continued to ache and she wished to god she could turn it off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who's reading - love to hear what you think. Persevere - good things are coming x**

*******

seaQuest DSV – 4600 II

1100 hours

Solomon Sea, Pacific Ocean

10S 16' 18.05", 158E 29' 19.57"

Shortly after Sarah left, the seaQuest received orders to track down a work-party in the Solomon archipelago. The UEO had lost contact with a team sent to decommission an old facility. They'd received no word from them in three days, and due to the sensitive nature of the building they were sent to work on, the UEO wanted reassurance of their safety.

"What is it they're working on anyway?" Ford asked the Captain.

"It's an old UEO data processing centre," he explained. "They used to have centres like this located everywhere. They were poorly defended and UEO objectors took advantage of that fact. After losing three men in skirmishes, they decided to close the centres and relocate to UEO headquarters."

"Why bother having them on these islands in the first place?"

Bridger smiled, "They used them to keep an eye on factions that were against the expansion of the UEO."

Ford rolled his eyes in realisation, "No wonder they were targets," he commented.

To Bridger's right, O'Neill looked up urgently from his console, "Captain, I'm picking up a distress signal." He played the fuzzed transmission through the speakers.

"Can you clean that up?" Bridger asked.

"I'm trying, Sir." He sat working with the transmission, attempting to minimise the distortion. "I think I've got it," he announced and played it back. The details were sketchy, but clear enough to make out that the work-party had encountered trouble and were requesting assistance.

He turned to Ford, "You and Brody can both go on this one. Tell him to assemble his team and meet you in the launch bay. Call Miss Allen too," he added. Ford looked at him questioningly. "You said yourself, Commander, she needs to prove herself."

Jonathan nodded reluctantly. "Aye, Sir." He pressed the ships PA system on his station. "Lieutenant Brody, assemble your men in the launch bay, you're going topside in 15 minutes," he selected another channel, "Miss Allen to the launch bay, Miss Allen to the launch bay." He looked uneasily at the Captain. "What should we expect?"

"I don't know, Commander, but it wouldn't expect it to be friendly," he joked. Ford breathed a dry laugh. "Be careful," Bridger told him, "And keep an eye on her."

Ford nodded and looked up at Ortiz. "Mr Ortiz, with me please," he ordered and led them off the bridge.

Bridger turned his attention to Henderson at the helm. "Henderson, bring us in and hold us steady three miles offshore, O'Neill, sound condition three."

"Aye, Sir," they both chorused.

***

Ford and Ortiz ploughed through the hive of activity in the launch bay towards Brody. At the sounding of condition three, the boat had leapt into life, with all hands making for their designated stations.

"Jim? All set?" Ford asked him through the noise.

"Everyone's armed and ready to go, Commander," Brody replied.

"Alright, Ortiz, go gather your gear," Ford told him. Ortiz nodded and walked away. Once he was far enough out of earshot, Ford took Brody to the side and spoke to him quietly.

"The Captain has ordered Beth to come with us on this one," Ford said.

"_What?_"

"Yeah, look, no matter what happens out there, I want her under supervision at all times. She's to be with you or me, got that?"

"Yes, Sir," Brody agreed. Although apprehensive, he was pleased his commanding officer had enough faith in him to make Beth his responsibility.

Ford gave Brody a slap on the back and led him back to the assembled men. They all turned as Beth walked into the launch bay. Wearing civvies, she stood out a mile from the uniformed men, all decked out in combat gear. Ford informed her that she was to be part of the away mission and she looked at him, aghast.

"Like it or not, Miss Allen, you're trained in ground combat," he retorted.

"I may be trained, Commander, but I'm inexperienced," she snapped back.

"Captain's orders, Miss Allen. Come with me and we'll get our gear," he told her, then turned to Brody. "Start loading the shuttle," he ordered, "I want to be out of here in five minutes."

He then quickly led Beth to the munitions locker, where they met Ortiz, strapping on his vest and checking his weapons. Ford began to do the same, while Beth looked on. Having never led a civilian into a possible combat situation before, he was unsure how to approach matters. Her being with them was nothing short of an inconvenience. It meant that while Brody and the rest of the men could concentrate on the task at hand, he had to baby sit the G.E.L.F. lunatic. The ferocity of that thought caught him off guard. She was no lunatic, he reminded himself guiltily and looked over at her. She was watching him, obviously waiting for permission.

"Are you waiting to be spoon-fed? Arm yourself!" he said sternly, as he did a last check and tightened the straps on his vest.

With a glare of abhorrence, she walked over to the munitions locker, pulled out a belt and strapped it round her waist. After an impressively quick weapons check, she then fixed a hand-held laser pistol onto the belt and stood expectantly. Ford felt his mouth twitch in amusement and glanced at Ortiz, whose concern was showing plainly. He ordered them both into the shuttle.

As she approached the docking hatch, Brody took Beth's arm and led her aside.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked.

"My legs aren't the only things that are fully recovered, Jim," she said, "I'll be fine."

He gave her a knowing nod, "Don't do anything stupid," he ordered, even though he knew she could take care of herself. They all boarded the launch and it set off with a lurch.

Beth's arm shot out as the launch lurched again. She looked at Miguel, whose eyes were grinning at her. Clearly they were both remembering their first shuttle ride together.

She breathed a laugh. "It's really not funny," she insisted.

"Yeah it is," he smiled as she shook her head in mock annoyance.

On the way, Brody gave a mission briefing. "Stay together in defensive formation. Since we don't know what we're dealing with I want cover from all angles. Ortiz, you'll vector us in towards the distress beacon and we'll assess the situation from there. And I don't want any casualties – set weapons on stun," he ordered.

It took merely minutes to travel the few miles to the shore. Once they'd landed, Ford stood and opened the hatch and climbed out to make sure the way was clear.

"Move out and assemble on the beach," he barked and waved the men out into the blinding sunshine.

They all unloaded from the launch and, following directions from Ortiz, headed towards the source of the beacon.

Ford walked beside Beth at all times. She remained quiet and observant, scanning her surroundings, holding her gun low, alert for danger, much the same as the rest of the men. The route took them over mixed terrain, from the grass-dominated flats near the shore, through rough shrubbery, wild with thorns and into a dense patch of rainforest in the centre of the island.

"Fan out," Brody ordered quietly.

In response, the men quietly crept away into the trees. Ford tapped Beth on the shoulder and signalled for her to follow him. Together, they silently padded their way through the undergrowth, moving forward with the group. Ford focused all his senses on the noises around him, making note of every footfall, panting breath and snapping twig. Among the vegetation, visibility was poor and they had to use their ears to distinguish between each other and hostile targets. In between all this, he had to keep watch on Beth, whose inexperience was now beginning to show. Clearly not used to keeping pace with a team, she would lag behind before stumbling to catch up.

'_At least she can do that quietly,_' Ford thought. He signalled to her with a hand movement and gestured to her to calm down. She nodded, apologetically and they continued onwards. Ford had led them to patrol the left flank and on this side the trees were beginning to thin. A loud 'snap' from the same direction caused him to freeze, mid-step. From the absence of footfalls behind him, he guessed Beth had done the same. The noise had been close by, and almost certainly wasn't caused by any of their men, so he made the decision to move towards it. He signalled to Beth to move forward beside him. The trees continued to thin ahead, allowing more light to penetrate. Ford thought he could make out a clearing about 50 metres further into the forest. That was too far for them to continue alone without backup, so he pulled his PAL from his vest and contacted Brody.

"Lieutenant?" he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"There's a clearing to the left of you. Rendezvous with us there so we can investigate."

"Roger that," Brody signed off.

Ford stowed away his PAL and took firm hold of his weapon. With the increasing light, he could see Beth more clearly. In the humidity of the forest, her face glistened with sweat and her hair was plastered to her face. He was impressed to see that despite the uncomfortable conditions, she remained alert and disciplined.

"Commander!" her shout brought him out of his reverie and to the attention of two men who had appeared from the undergrowth ahead of them. Both he and Beth trained their weapons and assumed a defensive stance.

"Stop! Put your hands on your head!" Ford bellowed. The two figures stopped stumbling and came to a halt. Their hands were shakily raised above their heads.

"Now stay where you are!" Ford ordered and moved towards them.

Beth took his lead and moved to secure one of the men, while Ford secured the other. She checked him over for any weapons.

"On your knees," she told him. He groaned as he knelt down and looked up at her and Ford. He was unshaven and encrusted in dirt and what smelt like bodily fluids.

"UEO?" he asked hopefully, spotting the symbol on Ford's uniform.

"ID's!" Ford barked, not taking any chances.

Beth resumed keeping watch around them in case there were any others. As rustling approached behind her, she swung her weapon round, ready. To her relief, Brody and Ortiz loomed out of the darkness. She moved her weapon away, put on the safety and placed it in her belt.

"Where's Ford?" Brody asked.

"With two prisoners," she told him and pointed at the two figures kneeling on the ground. Brody moved away in that direction. Ortiz came to walk beside her as they followed behind.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Shiny," she said, wiping her face with her sleeve, "how far away is the signal?"

"About 80 metres," he told her.

"So right in that clearing?"

"Looks that way," he turned off the tracker and placed it in his back pocket. Ford and Brody now had the men standing and were talking animatedly with them.

"These guys are UEO," Ford told them, holding up their IDs. "Dawson and Toleman," he introduced, "The others are in the clearing."

"This way, we'll lead you," Toleman, the man Beth had secured, told them.

Brody and Ford pulled out their weapons as they followed him, and the others followed suit.

Toleman was nursing a nasty limp and battered his way noisily through the trees.

'_It's was a wonder we didn't hear them from a mile away_,' Ford thought.

Everyone brought their arms up to shield their eyes as they broke the tree line and were immersed in light. Four, similarly bedraggled looking, men sat on the grass ahead of them. Clearly the sight of the weapons alarmed them, as they stood up and began backing away. Dawson shouted that it was alright and halted their retreat.

"You'd better be here to get us off this bloody island!" one of them barked.

"I'm Commander Jonathan Ford of the seaQuest and this is Lieutenant James Brody. What happened here?" he asked.

"Well Commander, what that building has is a bad case of the squatters," Dawson informed them. "While we was setting the building with explosives we stumbled on a whole group of 'em, and none too happy they were either. Shot at us, stole our ship and drove us into the forest. Luckily Kelshaw here had an emergency beacon on him and we could call for help, otherwise we'd be left to rot out here."

"The UEO wouldn't have left you to rot, Sir," Brody assured him. He turned to Ford and ushered him aside, out of earshot. "If there are people in that building, we're gonna have to get them out," he said.

Ford nodded, "I know, but how are we meant to do that if half the building is set to blow?"

"Ask them to help us out," Brody said simply, "We're their only ticket off this island, they don't really have a choice."

Ford looked sternly at the Lieutenant. Sometimes he really didn't like his thinking, but it was the only option they had. They both walked back to the gathered men and prepared to broker a deal.

***

They were split into two teams, each with a member of the work-party as a guide. Ford was with Kelshaw, Beth and three sailors, while Brody was with Ortiz, Dawson and another three sailors. The rest of the men had been left behind to watch the work-party. Ford was to approach the building from the back.

He held his gun down low, leading the way, keeping close to the walls for cover, with Beth following close behind. They walked through a rusted gate into the compound. An overgrown vegetable garden, backing onto the forest, obscured their view of the windows and doors. Keeping low, they circled round the vegetation, and once sure the way was clear, Ford stepped out onto the main path. He looked back for assurance from Kelshaw that it was safe to proceed.

'_Imagine setting half a building to explode before finding a group of squatters._' To Jonathan, the very idea was ludicrous.

He looked back a second time to make sure Beth was following and covering his back, though by now he was fairly confident she could handle herself. They stopped with Ford and one of the sailors either side of a doorway. Ford signalled for the sailor – Ensign Parrish – to check and see whether the entrance was clear. He looked back at him blankly. Ford signalled again, with the same response. He sighed, too loudly for his own liking. He slowed his signal down and relayed the command once more. He recognised the Ensign as being new to the boat, but that was no excuse for forgetting basic commands. This time, Parrish tentatively looked round the corner and shook his head – no one in sight. Ford nodded and gave the signal to move.

Simultaneously, he and the Ensign pulled back, their weapons held high, and moved into the building. Beth, who was standing to the other side of Parrish, moved in after him, covering their backs. Ford let Kelshaw through to guide them.

Now he was inside the building he could see how they'd missed the squatters – it was a maze of narrow corridors, resembling an above ground bunker – dense and disorientating. They halted as Kelshaw raised his hand and signalled right. Out of the corner of his eye, Ford noticed Beth had taken Parrish's place at his side and felt oddly relieved. They began to clear each room in turn as they came to them. Row upon row of out-dated computer consoles, decaying under dust and cobwebs, became a familiar sight, causing Beth to look at Ford questioningly.

"What's all this stuff doing here, just lying around?" she asked, "Shouldn't it have been cleared when they shut-down the centre?"

"The same question crossed my mind. God knows what's on those disks," he said sternly. '_If those computers have been lying around all this time, how many people could have accessed them by now?_' he asked himself.

He motioned them back out into the corridor and Kelshaw led them down another corridor to the right. Ford turned to make sure their backs were clear and when he looked back again, Kelshaw had halted dead in the middle of the corridor. With dread, he realised they must have taken a wrong turn and were in the middle of the rigged explosives. But then Beth moved forward fearlessly. She holstered her weapon and moved past Kelshaw to crouch on the ground.

"Hey there," he heard her say. He moved past Kelshaw to see what was going on. To his amazement, standing next to Beth was a young boy, of no more than 3-4 years old. Standing in stained, over-sized clothes, the boy looked at them, unsure. He couldn't have looked more out of place.

"What's this you've got?" Beth asked him, pointing to the toy he was holding, "Is this yours?" The boy gave a tentative nod and Ford smiled, despite himself.

"Listen, my name is Beth, can you tell me yours?" she asked. The boy looked at her, shyly, with confusion and wariness in his eyes. "Is it Adam?" she asked, teasing. The boy shook his head. "Is it Ben?" she tried. The boy shook his head again, but this time a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Colin," he garbled quietly.

"Colin?" Beth asked, and he nodded happily, with his finger in his mouth. "Colin, are your mummy and daddy here?" He nodded strongly and pointed further along the corridor. They all looked up and were startled by the appearance of three men rounding the corner towards them. They'd been so relaxed around Colin that it took them by surprise to see full sized people. Ford's eyes slipped to the rifles slung around their backs and he moved forward to take Beth by the arm and pull her back. Colin was pulled back to safety by a similar movement. Within seconds those rifles were aiming right at them.

"Who are you?" a burly man asked.

Ford lowered his weapon in an attempt to show peace, "Commander Jonathan Ford of the seaQuest. We're here to get you out, this building isn't safe anymore," he told them.

"UEO?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"We don't want your kind of help," he retorted.

"Samson, just blast them and get it over with," one of the men behind him growled. Samson looked at Ford and retorted, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do what he says."

"You don't want to kill someone in front of your son," Beth answered.

While he was distracted by Beth, Ford scanned Samson and his men. They were well armed and kitted out. One had a hand-held computer strapped to his waist, raising his suspicions. _What were the chances of a squatter having hi-tech computer equipment in a UEO data processing centre? And if they were up to no good, why did they have kids with them? _Ford tried to make sense of the situation.

"Who said he was my son? And I said a _good_ reason," Samson said, and with a look that resembled too much like pleasure, he took aim and let rip rounds of laser blasts towards the crew.

Ford pushed Beth and Kelshaw through the doorway on the left, while the other three sailors crashed through the opposite doorway.

"Get on the PAL, tell Brody we're pinned down and we need assistance," Ford passed the PAL to Kelshaw as he and the sailors tried to prevent the men from hammering down on them.

"Lieutenant Brody? Are you receiving?" Kelshaw shouted.

"This is Brody, come in, what's the racket?"

"We're under attack in the south-east section of the centre, the second corridor along from the central processing room."

"Alright, we're coming to you, just hold tight. Brody out."

Kelshaw went to hand the PAL back to Ford but Beth snatched it from him. "He's got his hands full," she said. Ford was hanging out the door firing rounds. Samson and his men were hiding round two doorways further up the hall.

"I'm almost out of charge!" Ford shouted, "Don't maintenance ever charge these things?"

"Here!" Beth said, handing Ford hers. He took it and resumed firing.

"There're more of them!" Ford said, "At least five!"

Beth jumped as the PAL in her hand rang. "Allen," she answered.

"Beth? We're right round the corner but we can't get to you, they're firing too hard," Brody told her. She looked up at Ford and crawled to the doorway to crouch beside him.

"They've got Brody pinned down too," she said.

"These aren't squatters, they're here for the data," Ford told her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he fired off more blasts and leant, panting against the doorframe. "If you've got any tricks up your sleeve, now's the time to use them," he told her.

She looked him dead in the eyes, "Do you mean that?"

Ford pursed his lips and nodded, "Yeah, just do what you have to. If we don't end this soon, there are going to be casualties. Can you do it?" Beth looked away, apprehensively then nodded in agreement. "Good girl," Ford clasped her shoulder and grabbed the PAL.

"Brody?"

"Yeah, Ford?"

"Beth is going to create a distraction. When the time comes, move in."

"How will we know?"

Ford glanced at Beth, who looked amused, "Oh, I think you'll know," he said.

"Alright, out."

Ford handed back his pistol and nodded. She stood and pressed herself against the door and peered round to get an idea of their positioning. Shots flew past her head, too close for comfort. These guys were pretty sharp shooters.

"Bugger it!" she said and threw down her pistol. She walked boldly out into the corridor and raised her hand. As the rifles fired simultaneously, she caught the laser blasts and held them in mid-air. The men continued to fire in desperation, disbelief fuelling their panic. She absorbed the energy from the blasts and threw it back at them, sending them sprawling to the ground, and their weapons from their hands. Immediately, Brody, Ortiz and the other men swarmed round the corner and had Samson and the others on their knees in seconds.

"What the hell _was _that?" Samson exclaimed.

"What? You didn't hear us creeping up on you?" Brody joked in a feeble attempt to cover up Beth's attack.

Ford stepped out from the doorway, his heart pounding at what he'd just seen. Despite himself he started laughing manically and clapped Beth on the shoulder. His mind couldn't seem to find any other way of coping with the situation. Brody and Ortiz eyed him.

"I'm sorry," he steadied himself, "but _that_ was insane! Good work," he said, giving Beth a pat on the back. "Come on." He handed Beth her pistol and they walked up to join Brody and Ortiz. Ford looked down on Samson.

"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to gather your people and lead them out of the building, and then we're going to discuss your theft of a UEO vessel. Move it!" he ordered. Samson snarled at him and spat, sending a globule of saliva onto Ford's shoe, but led the crew through the building to where the rest of his people were hiding. While Ford and Brody led up front, Beth and Ortiz came second.

Hearing a quiet groaning sound beside him, Ortiz turned his head to see Beth screwing up her nose in protest. "You alright?" he asked.

"It's the smell," she explained. "Reminds me of…" she started, seeing no need to finish the sentence – they both knew what she was referring to.

They halted with the others as Samson stopped outside the door to the mess and held up his hand, knuckles rattling out a sequence of knocks on the wood. An answering sequence was received and he nodded to Ford. Ford, however, wasn't going to play the fool, and forced Samson and his men ahead of them to prevent any ambush.

As they walked into the room, none of them were prepared for the wall of heat that hit them, created by so many bodies living in close quarters.

The inhabitants all looked up in alarm as the crew entered, weapons raised.

"It's alright, we're here to help," Ford reasurred.

"What are you all doing here?" Brody asked Samson as he rounded up everyone.

"These old buildings are full of medical supplies," he told him.

"Medicine? You're after medical supplies?" Brody asked.

Samson looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You rich people aren't the only ones who get sick," he quipped.

"And with equipment like that, there's no way you were just after medical supplies," Ford said, nodding towards the computer on one of the men's waists.

Samson scowled at him, "Everyone needs money," he sneered, "Riley – that's enough, let's go!" he barked at one of the men who was throwing as many of his belongings as possible into a duffel bag. "Come on, there's no time for this, just take what you can and let's go."

Beth looked on in disgust at the 5 or 6 small children, including Colin, clinging onto their mother's legs for comfort. She moved to stand next to Ortiz.

"Who are these people?" she asked him.

"Probably political refugees," he answered.

Beth was silently sickened. The confederations of the Indo-Australian region had persistently strained against the regulations of the UEO and were notorious for putting their desire for world standing above the needs of their citizens.

"Why doesn't the UEO do something?" she remarked.

Hearing her comment, Samson marched towards her angrily. Ortiz defiantly stepped between them and took aim.

"Ortiz! Lower your weapon!" Brody shouted.

Ortiz placed his pistol back in its holster but remained between Samson and Beth. Samson laughed. "The UEO? Of course – the answer to all the world's problems, the mighty UEO!" he sniggered.

Ford pushed him out the door as all the other people moved out and down the corridor. Kelshaw and Dawson led them safely towards the exit, avoiding all the armed explosives.

Beth walked at the back with the women and children, Colin skipping merrily at her feet. She was amazed by the innocence of the child in such a perilous situation. That was something she'd never had the opportunity to experience – innocence. Something landed by her foot and she leant to pick up a stuffed animal. She handed it back to a woman, who snatched it away from her. When she stood up again, Colin was no longer there. She stopped and looked around. He wasn't in the crowd ahead either. She spun round in time to see a shadow dancing away round the corner. Without a second thought, she bounded after it.

***

Once outside the building, Samson was struggling with his wife, who had been dragged out of the building by one of Brody's men.

"What's going on?" Ford asked, as he walked over to talk to them.

"My baby's in there!" Samson's wife yelled. "They wouldn't let me go after him!"

"Are you sure? He didn't just get caught up in the crowd?" Ford asked, looking over at the group of people seated away from them.

"No, I watched everyone come out. He wasn't there," Samson insisted.

At that same moment, one of Brody's men shouted out to them. "Sir, the girl's gone!" he told them.

Brody and Ortiz jerked their heads round, panic flooding their veins. They looked around and realised he was talking about Beth – she was still in the building – a literal minefield.

"Where is she?" Ortiz asked.

"I don't know, alright!" Brody shouted.

Ford moved to stand by them, along with Samson. "She must have gone after the kid," he told them.

Ortiz threw off his rifle and made to go back into the building, but Brody stopped him. "You'll get yourself killed!" he said angrily.

"So will she!" he shouted back.

"Stay where you are, Mr Ortiz, that's an order!" Ford commanded. All they could do was wait, and wait they did, staring at the doorway, waiting for someone, anyone to appear. No one came.

"What's happened?" Samson asked, worried for his son.

"Jim, I've been an idiot," Miguel said, anxiously, his face racked with guilt.

"I know. I think we should go and look for her," Jim announced.

***

Colin was certainly on a mission. His little legs had carried him a fair way by the time Beth caught up with him through the maze of corridors. She rounded a corner and ground to a halt to find him standing stock-still, bending down to pick up a grey, metallic box. Beth inhaled sharply and screamed.

"Colin!!!"

Her shout frightened him and he jumped, releasing the box from his grasp. It began a decent to the ground, tumbling as it went. Beth shot out her hand and it paused spinning in mid-air. She carefully lowered the detonator to the ground a few metres away from Colin. The ground and walls were wired from floor to ceiling, ready to blow. She reached her hand out to Colin, whose lower lip was trembling. She kicked herself for scaring the child.

"Just stand still alright? I'll come to you," she told him. Slowly she tiptoed over the wires and lifted Colin off the ground. In the few seconds it took to get them back to safety, Beth didn't dare breathe. Colin's little heart fluttered anxiously against her breast, but he didn't so much as whimper.

'_How can something so small be so brave?'_ She thought.

Once safe, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're alright, you're alright, what were you doing, huh?" she bounced him up and down, trying to soothe him.

"Toy," she managed to understand through the tears.

She laughed to herself and bounced him into a secure hold. Cradling him in her arms she walked back through the building in an attempt to find the exit.

***

Brody, Kelshaw and Ortiz were just about ready to re-enter the building when Beth emerged with Colin screaming in her arms.

"Lieutenant!" Parrish shouted.

Brody, Ortiz and Ford ran over to the door. Samson barged forward and snatched Colin out of Beth's arms. She raised her hands in defence and backed to stand a safe distance away by Brody and Ortiz. Under Ford's orders, Kelshaw and Dawson went back into the building to make sure everything was safe.

After handing Colin to his wife, Samson came to stand by Ford to continue negotiating the terms of their surrender from the island.

"I don't trust you, any of you. You're all full of lies," Samson said and turned to his people. They looked at him desperately. "Some of the children are sick," he began.

"They'll be well looked after," Ford reassured.

Colin continued screaming in the background, tearing at Beth's heart. Ortiz saw her struggling and instinctively placed his hand on her back to comfort her. He was dismayed when he felt her shrink beneath his touch, but what else could he expect after the way he'd treated her? His guilt and misgivings became clearer than ever. How could he have wasted so much time?

"No, we've been here before. The UEO promised us food, shelter, money, jobs, but look where it got us," Samson became agitated.

"We're not the same," Ford said.

"I don't know that do I?"

"Look, here's what I can do. I'll get my commanding officer to come here and promise to you, himself, that we'll do everything within our power to help you," Ford suggested.

"Who is he? What rank?" Samson asked, intrigued.

"Captain, Captain Bridger."

"Nathan Bridger?"

"Yes."

Samson looked thoughtfully again at his people, especially his wife, who was struggling to hold a now sedate but wriggling Colin on her lap. He smiled at his playful child. Nathan Bridger was well known as being one of the few humanitarians left in the UEO. From his experience, Samson believed the rest were only interested in expanding the UEOs' grasp over the less wealthy nations of the world. Seeing an opportunity for progress, he looked back at Ford and made his decision. "Alright," he said and held out his hand. Ford shook it gladly.

Kelshaw and Dawson emerged from the centre and gave Ford the thumbs up. As Kelshaw began to walk out he felt something brush against his leg.

"Woah," he exclaimed and turned in time to see a tiny figure run back inside the building.

"Colin!!!" Samson's wife screamed, running after him.

Beth, Brody, Ford and Ortiz all turned to see Colin's small legs vanish through the door. Ford immediately yelled out. "Stop her!"

Two of Ford's men grabbed her, and fought with Samson, who also struggled desperately to run after his son.

"Wait here!" Ford told; them, setting off across the grass towards the building.

"Ford!" Brody yelled.

Beth was stopped by Ortiz, who wrapped his arms around her waist restraining her. She gripped his arms, staring helplessly at Ford. They all snapped their heads round to Dawson as an alarm went off in his pocket.

"Oh my God," he said. "The detonator's been set!" he shouted to Ford.

They all looked at him in horror. Ortiz fought as Beth struggled against him. Ford stopped and looked back at them all, his mind deadened by the sudden shock and realisation. He was too close.

Brody looked back at him helplessly. "Do something!!" he screamed at Beth.

Ortiz let her go and she threw her arm out, catapulting Ford back towards them to land flat on the ground. They soon followed suit, throwing themselves to the ground and covering their heads as the entire east wing of the building exploded in a wave of plasterboard and concrete that came charging towards them.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Continued thanks to those who are still reading. I hope it's been worthwhile x**_

**_***_**

Coughing, Beth opened her eyes to be faced with Miguel's chest. Their arms were wrapped around each other, but he wasn't moving.

"Miguel?" she wheezed, "Miguel!?!"

"Yeah?" he answered, spluttering to clear the dust from his lungs, "You alright?"

"I think so," she said and pulled herself up, "You?"

"Yeah," he said, sitting up and brushing off the dust. They both stood up and made out Brody helping Ford to his feet, but barely had time to register relief before laser blasts erupted over their heads.

"MY SON!!!!" Samson raged, firing relentlessly towards them. Everyone in his group who could wield a pistol were doing so, and bearing down on the crew. Through the chaos, Brody could barely tell where half his men were. There was only one thing for it.

"Retreat!!" he bellowed.

He could hear the call being taken up all around them and led Ford into the forest, where the rest of the crew would hopefully follow.

Ortiz desperately grabbed Beth by the hand and pulled her away from the gunfire.

"Come on!" he yelled to Kershaw and Dawson.

Together, they ran stumbling into the forest, desperately batting branches out of the way and following the calls of their friends. The light faded as they penetrated further into the forest. With debris choking their lungs, they wheezed and coughed, making the run hard going.

Hearing the screams of anger and bitterness behind them, Beth's throat and chest tightened even more. She could still hear Samson screaming for his son, despite the fact they were well out of earshot. It became more and more difficult to catch her breath and keep pace. The ground seemed more uneven than she remembered, and the forest darker. Sometime during their escape, her hand slipped from Miguel's and she fell behind.

'COLIN!!!!! My Baby!!! Get them!!!'

The branches grasped everywhere, determined to prevent their escape. Through a constricted throat, Beth let out a cry and lashed out at the tree she found herself caught on. With a crack, the branch snapped and she turned to flee from the turmoil around her. The cries, the rustling of the trees as they flew past, and the thud of footfalls were accompanied by a constant rasping sound, which she realised was coming from her own chest. It pained and tightened with every breath, but she had to get away and forced her legs harder and harder.

"Keep going, move back to the shuttle," Ortiz told those around him as Beth caught up. Soon they were out of the forest and making their way back through the thorns. But she barely registered their constant sharp scratching, as she jogged quickly with Ortiz to the shore.

Brody and Ford saw them come into sight as they ran down the sand bank towards the shuttle. When they reached the bottom, Beth collapsed, wheezing, to the ground. Her hand lay across her chest, and if she wasn't in good physical health, Ortiz would have sworn she was having a heart attack.

Brody ran over to join them. "Go and help Ford load everyone up," he told Ortiz and moved to sit in front of Beth.

"It's just a panic attack, just breathe through it," he told her, "in through your nose, out through your mouth. It's all over, just relax and breathe through it."

Slowly, with Jim sitting by her, the cloud over her senses began to subside and she came back to herself. She sat with her head in her hands, braced against the emotions churning inside. Despite the mission technically being a success, no one felt jubilant.

"Is Jonathan alright?" she asked.

"He's fine," Ford said as he loomed over them. "Jim, go help Ortiz," he nodded in the direction of the shuttle.

"Yes, Sir!" Brody replied, begrudgingly.

Ford watched him go before turning his attention to Beth. There was something in her manner that told him to watch his step. Besides the rigid back and harsh body language, by the way her eyes flit back and forth, he could tell she was ready to strike. "How are we doing?" he asked,

"Fine," she blurted aggressively. She knew well enough what Ford's opinion of her was, and wasn't about to give him any ammunition to be used against her.

"You did well," he said suddenly, catching her off guard, "and you saved my ass back there…thanks," he said, honestly.

Unaccustomed to achieving praise for something she'd been so long scorned for, she simply gazed, abashed, at the Commander, before saying, "You're welcome, Sir."

"You don't need to call me, Sir," he chuckled, "Come on, get up, we need to move."

"It felt appropriate under the circumstances," she said, patting the sand off her jeans. Ford looked at her, appraisingly, before nodding. "Let's go home," he said and led them back to the shuttle.

***

With the work-party safely onboard, they headed back to the seaQuest.

Beth sat questioning herself throughout the journey, Colin's image skipping before her eyes, much like the real thing, right before…

When they arrived, Nathan looked relieved to see them all in one piece.

"No casualties, Sir," Jonathan reported.

"No casualties?" Beth asked in disbelief. She flicked her eyes between Nathan and Jonathan, scornfully, before turning to leave in a blaze of fury.

Nathan caught her by the arm. "I'll speak with you later," he told her.

"Aye, Sir," she said and quickly walked out of the docking bay.

"Beth," Jim called after her, anxiously.

Miguel looked at the Captain uncertainly. "With your permission, Sir?" he asked.

Jonathan and Nathan exchanged a glance and Jonathan nodded, encouragingly.

"Permission granted," Nathan agreed, allowing Miguel to run after her.

"Beth. Beth wait!" he shouted. He reached out and stopped her. As she turned to look at him, the uncertainty in her eyes was enough to break his heart.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" she snapped, deep creases marking her brow.

"It does to me," he blurted, making another grab for her arm as she tried to walk away. "Can we talk?" he asked, desperately

She looked less than enthusiastic but relented. "Fine," she agreed, "but not here."

He had little choice but to follow her in uncomfortable silence until they reached her door. She held it open for him and he walked in tentatively, feeling as though he were a child being allowed access to something that had been forbidden to him. Almost immediately he noticed a photo of them sitting prominently on the table by her bunk. It was one taken of them sitting at the sonar station on the bridge. Miguel had given it to her as a leaving present. She noticed him looking at it and picked it up.

"Lucas made me copies of all the photos from when I was here before," she said in explanation.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"What for?" she asked, absentmindedly setting down the picture.

"For the way I've been treating you, for freezing you out."

"It's ok, I told you I understand," she said, coldly, looking down to take a deep breath before raising her head to gaze at him in submission. "I'm not the person you thought I was," she said with a thin smile.

He stepped towards her, urgently. "Is that what you think?" He took her hand in one of his and cupped her cheek with the other.

Beth closed her eyes, and pulled his hand away. "What am I supposed to think?" she asked, frustrated.

"Beth," he said. He placed his hand behind her neck, pulled her closer and looked straight into her eyes, causing her heart to thump with uncertainty. "You're exactly the person I thought you were, just…more. I'm sorry I made you feel otherwise," he admitted.

"_What_?" she asked, perplexed, pulling away.

How would he explain? "Have you ever had a perfect memory of something?" he asked, "and imagined what it would be like to see that thing again?" She stared at him blankly. "I had it all worked out in my head, what it would be like to see you again, what I'd say to you, what would happen, then when this happened it blew my whole world apart. I couldn't help seeing you as two people; the Beth I knew and this other Beth I was intimidated by and scared of. I wanted to be around my Beth, but I kept seeing the other you and I just wanted to be rid of her. All I could think was '_This isn't how things are meant to be._' Then today with all that going on I realised you were my Beth the whole time and I just couldn't see it," He paused. "And…"

"And…?"

"And, I was jealous," he admitted. "Jim knew this whole other part of you that I didn't – a whole other part that you didn't share with me."

"I've said I'm sorry for that about a hundred times. But you're never going to get to know that part of me unless you try," she snapped.

"I know," he said, anguished.

"What the hell happened, Miguel?" she sighed, shaking her head. "Why couldn't we just have talked about this? Do you know how hurtful and confusing the past few weeks have been?"

"I know," he agreed.

Seeing the genuine regret lingering in his eyes, she backed down from the defensive and realised that he wasn't entirely to blame. "I shut you out too," she admitted, "I'm sorry for that."

"You wouldn't have done that if it weren't for me," he said, downbeat.

His determination to take all the blame, however admirable, just served as another reminder of how far apart they'd grown and how much misunderstanding had been allowed to build. Just how much though was what they tried to measure now, as they gazed at each other seeking some kind of resolution.

To Miguel's surprise, it was Beth who made the first move. With her mouth pursed in restrained emotion, she took two swift strides across the cabin and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head, exhausted, against his chest.

She sighed gently, conflict searing inside. Despite her best efforts to keep it intact, he was managing to chip away, piece by piece at the fortified wall that surrounded her.

"He was so innocent," she mumbled suddenly, but Miguel needed no explanation for what she was talking about. "I've never seen such hope and joy and…_trust_ in anyone before. He believed that everything would be alright. He didn't know any better."

"That's what childhood is all about," Miguel said.

"I wouldn't know," she said coldly. "If I had tried…" she began.

"Don't…there's nothing you could have done," he told her. He watched helplessly as she stalked away to the other side of the room and paced back and forth.

"Stop," he walked over and pulled her down to sit on the bed beside him. Tentatively, he reached his hand out and gently rubbed her back. This time she relaxed under his touch and sighed deeply.

"I don't want to do that again," she admitted.

"No-one's going to make you."

"And I don't want to do this again."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want things to be like this again…between us. I need your friendship right now as much as I need Jim's. I hate you looking at me like you've never seen me before," she paused and looked at him. Miguel's breath caught in his throat. She hadn't looked at him that way in three years. "I need to know you're there, Miguel."

With that, the wall between them came crashing down and he saw just how vulnerable and uncertain her existence had become, and how much his betrayal had cost their relationship. With the wall down, it was now time to start building a bridge, and that first step was laid by making the promise she so desperately needed. She nodded, accepting it. A shaky foundation was a foundation nonetheless. They just had to find a way to move forward from there. Miguel went first.

"I was really proud of you today, you saved a lot of lives."

"Thanks."

"Though, I'm not sure exactly how grateful Jonathan really is. Can you imagine the black and blue on his ass after the belter you gave him?"

Surprised by his humour and grateful for the warmth in his sentiment, Beth managed a small chuckle.

"I knew there was still a smile in there somewhere," he said quietly.

"It just needed a reason to come out," she said, shyly and they both smiled, finally relaxed in each other's company.

***

Nathan sat anxiously in his room. He'd just excused Miss Allen.

He'd been expecting to give her a full reprimand for her conduct during the mission, but to his pleasant surprise, that hadn't been necessary. From Jonathan's account, she had behaved not only professionally and kept a cool head under tense conditions, but had demonstrated utmost control of her abilities, deploying them without endangering herself or those around her. She'd even saved Jonathan's life.

However, the incident had left her shaken, more so than he had expected. He realised, with regret, that he had done the very thing he'd told his first officer not to do; he had forgotten she was just a human, like the rest of them.

He had mistakenly assumed that, with her military training, she would have the same emotional stamina as his men, which, when he thought of the state she'd been in a month or so ago, was a ridiculous assumption. He had to admit that he'd fallen foul of the same curiosity that had probably driven the people that created her – he'd wanted to know just how much she was capable of.

With that realisation, he took the decision never to place her unwillingly in such a situation again. She had chosen to be a scientist. The lab was where she belonged, and so the lab was where she would stay.

***

Wendy and Lonnie were sitting in the lounge, chatting, while the boys played darts behind them, winding down after the eventful day. They flicked through a catalogue of women's fashions, laughing at the outrageous outfits.

"I mean look at that, she looks like some kind of mutant jellyfish!" Lonnie exclaimed.

"I'd wear it…at Halloween," Wendy laughed. "This one isn't bad," she pointed.

"Yeah…I can't wait until next shore leave. There's something cruel about depriving women of shopping," Lonnie moaned.

"I'll agree with that. Unlike _them_…" she nodded her head in the direction of the boys, "…there are only so many times a girl can play cards."

They looked up as Beth walked past the door.

"Beth!" Lonnie called out. She poked her head through the door. "Where are you going? Come sit!" she insisted, patting the seat next to her. As she took a seat, Lonnie eyed her appraisingly. She hadn't actually spent that much time with her, but they'd got on well enough the few times they'd spoken.

"How are the work-party?" Beth asked Wendy.

"A little dehydrated and sunburnt, but nothing worse," she answered.

"Good," Beth commented with relief, looking around her. Lonnie and Wendy did the same, raising their eyebrows as they caught sight of Miguel giving her a beaming grin.

"Well, someone's changed their tune," Wendy commented.

"I think it might have something to do with someone almost getting themselves killed," Lucas commented as he appeared behind them.

"Thank god, he was really starting to get on my wick," Lonnie laughed.

"You weren't saying that when you were trying to kiss him," Beth teased.

"Oh come on!" Lonnie exclaimed, surprised but pleased by her boldness, "and I don't know what you're laughing at – you were just as annoying. "_Miguel this, Miguel tha_t…" Lonnie mocked in a high-pitched voice. Wendy giggled, while Beth scowled, playfully.

Behind them, Lucas remained hovering. "Can I have a word?" he asked Beth.

"Uh, sure," she said and stood up to follow him outside the door.

"I just wanted to see if you were alright," he said, "I heard the Captain wanted to speak with you. Is everything ok?"

"It's fine," she said sadly, "He just wanted to ask how things went."

"So, you're not leaving?" he asked.

"No," Beth said simply.

"Well, good," he admitted. He looked at the sadness in her eyes. "It must have been hard out there."

"It was," she said, "harder than I thought it would be actually. I suppose I should be glad – it means I'm not a cyborg after all," she joked.

Lucas frowned and took her into a sudden embrace, which she gratefully received, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"You're not a cyborg," he told her. "You're too flawed to be a machine," he joked.

She managed a smile and batted him on the head before they walked back into the lounge where Piccolo greeted them with a loud wolf whistle.

"Aiming a little high there, Luke, don't you think?" he teased.

"Everyone has to start somewhere, Tony," Beth retorted. She walked over to the fridge to pour herself a drink. The game was continuing at the far end of the hall and it was Miguel's turn to throw. She watched as he threw his shots and scored low. The guys all laughed.

"Hey Ortiz!" she said, "That's no way to play darts."

Miguel smiled. "No? Care to give me a demonstration?"

"With pleasure," she quipped, accepting the challenge and strutting over to him.

Miguel raised his eyebrows as she stood between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. He turned to look at the other guys who were grinning broadly.

He handed her the darts and watched as she aimed with ease and threw the dart square in the centre of the board. Bull's-eye! A chorus of 'Oooooo,' erupted from the men. She aimed and hit the centre a second time. The third time she aimed and just as she let loose the dart, he blew gently on her neck, surprising her so much that she threw wide and missed the board entirely, much to everyone's amusement.

"Dirty tactics," she told Miguel.

He grinned at her, pleased with himself.

She walked back over to the counter and picked up her glass, as Wendy and Lonnie came over to watch the competition.

Beth returned to where Miguel was standing. He moved forward so they were brushing against each other. They both felt the desperate need for some kind of physical contact between them to reaffirm their friendship.

It was Jonathan's turn to throw. Dagwood, who had also been drinking a fair amount of coke that night, suddenly let out a deafening belch, causing Jonathan to flinch and miss his shot.

"That's disgusting!" Tony commented.

In the end his gaseous outbursts seemed to work to his advantage as Dagwood won the game easily. He was rewarded with several pats on the back and looked rather pleased with himself.

A second game was demanded, so Jim goaded Lonnie and Wendy into joining in. Wendy surprised everyone by throwing a decent score, however Lonnie didn't really know what she was doing, so Jim offered to show her.

The apparent chemistry between them caught Beth's attention. She leaned closer to Miguel to quiz him about it, and he automatically inclined his head towards her.

"Is there something between those two?" she whispered.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied. He looked down and caught her continuing to stare at him.

"I never told you I like your hair," she said, reaching up to tousle a strand around her finger.

He smiled, "Makes me look rather dashing don't you think?"

"Don't push it," she winked.

It wasn't the only thing about him that had changed over the last couple of years. She'd only had to look once into those dark eyes to know he wasn't quite the same person he'd once been either. Physically he was more toned, chiselled even, probably, she imagined, as a result of being promoted and included in more away missions. But emotionally he was different too, with an edge of dark seriousness she also saw in Jim; the result of a life full of unpredictable dangers – _that_ she could identify with.

After a couple more games, everyone was tired of it and looking for something else to do. A smile crept across Jonathan's face. "How about a truth or dare rematch?"

Beth, Miguel, Lucas and Tim rolled their eyes and groaned. They all remembered how the last one had ended up - with Beth, Miguel and Lucas in the moon pool.

"Truth or dare?" Wendy repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't that a little _childish_, Commander?" Jim teased.

"Sounds like fun. Let's give it a whirl," Tony added.

"I don't know," Lonnie protested.

Nevertheless they all agreed and seated themselves around the table.

"Who's first?" Jonathan asked.

"I'll go," Beth volunteered, "truth."

"I seem to remember the last time we played this, you told us you'd only ever kissed one guy, a guy you grew up with who was now some 'hotshot' lieutenant in the navy," Jonathan joked.

"Oh that's right," Lucas smiled, "was that _him_?" he pointed to Jim.

Beth and Jim both nodded and everyone laughed.

"Oh come on, he's a handsome guy, I mean look at this face," she gripped Jim's cheeks between her hands. He shook her off and feigned frustration.

"Is that what you called me? Some 'hotshot' lieutenant?" he retorted.

"So what's my truth this time?" she asked.

Dagwood plucked up the courage to ask a question he'd been desperate to learn the answer to, "Why are you different?" The question stunned everyone, including Beth, but she answered honestly and truthfully.

"I'm a G.E.L.F. too" she said, "I was created, like you, and I was made so I could do things others can't."

"What kinds of things?" Dagwood asked

"Uh, I'm not even sure about that, Dagwood. I just try to live normally like everyone else."

He seemed satisfied with this answer. "Ok, someone else's turn now," he said, bringing a small smile to everyone's faces.

Miguel reached out and rested his hand on Beth's thigh. She reached down and curled her fingers around his. He knew it had taken a lot of courage to admit that in front of everyone.

"My turn," Tony said, "Dare me!"

Jim, having played many drunken dare games in his time, came up with the perfect challenge. He told Tony to go and steal a helium canister from one of the labs and bring it back to inhale in front of everyone. The results were hilarious. Not only did he serenade a petty officer seated nearby, but he took Tim out of his seat and danced with him round the room, still singing. Beneath the laughter, Wendy scowled and hid the canister at her feet to save any further inhalation. She didn't want to have to be responsible for that one the following morning.

Lonnie took the next turn and chose a dare.

"I got one!" Tony piped up, standing and walking into the galley. He rooted around in a few boxes before producing a small, bright red chilli. Smiling, he carefully laid it on a plate and poured a glass of water. Lonnie scowled at him as he set it in front of her. "Bon Appetite."

"You're kidding, right?" she asked, aghast.

"Oh, come on, Lonnie. You're one of the guys, right?" Jonathan teased.

At that, Lonnie threw a dagger stare at them, and took a large chunk out of the chilli, as the men stared open mouthed. It wasn't long before the floodwaters began to rise. The tears came pouring out of her eyes and she grabbed the glass of water, downing the contents in seconds.

"More," she mumbled. Tony leapt to the sink and refilled the glass, whose contents disappeared just as fast. Three more glasses later, and still blinking the tears away, she was recovered enough to say, "Satisfied?"

They all laughed, as Jim got up from his seat to pour her another glass of water. "I think it's Miguel's turn," he said when he returned.

Jonathan sat with a smug grin on his face. "How about a piggyback rematch? Down to the moon pool."

Miguel laughed and shook Jonathan's hand. "Pick your partner Ford, I've got mine," he smiled and put his arm around Beth's shoulders.

Jonathan smiled at Lonnie. "Woah, wait a second!" she raised her hands, and coughed, her mouth still hurting. Through protests, she was ferried out of the lounge and into the hallway where she, Beth, Miguel and Jonathan stood waiting at the end of the hall until the others arrived at the moon pool.

A few minutes later, Jim's voice came over Jonathan's PAL. "On your marks!" Beth jumped on Miguel's back, while Lonnie hopped on Jonathan's.

"No dirty tricks this time!" Jonathan said.

"And no ass slapping!" Miguel told Beth.

She giggled, "If you run fast enough that won't be a problem."

"GO!" Jim yelled.

Jonathan and Miguel set off at a run, course locked.

Lonnie yelped as she was bounced up and down on Jonathan's back. Seeing an opportunity, she reached out and prodded Miguel under the arm.

"Hey, no dirty tricks!" he protested.

"What, like this?" she teased, continuing to prod him.

"You're gonna drop me!" Beth laughed, as Miguel tried to slap Lonnie's hand out of the way.

"I am not," he panted.

"Hold on," Jonathan said. He picked up the pace and pulled away from Beth and Miguel as they veered towards the stairs.

"Hurry up!" Beth exclaimed.

"It's all give, give, give in this relationship," Miguel teased.

Beth gave his backside a hard slap. "There, you took that!" she giggled.

"You are so in for it!" he laughed.

Jonathan and Lonnie were running further ahead and Miguel found himself wishing he hadn't eaten so much at dinner. But despite his full stomach, he forced himself to keep pace as they headed towards the second stairwell and began to gain on them.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Jonathan risked a look round to see that he and Lonnie had the definite lead. "Not a chance, Ortiz!" he shouted to them, laughing.

In a last ditch effort, Miguel charged along the deck behind them, but had to concede defeat as he watched the other two turn into the moon pool. He stumbled through seconds later and let his cargo slip from his back.

"I told you no ass slapping," he said, backing Beth towards the door.

"You weren't going fast enough," she laughed. "You are not getting me in that pool again!" she insisted. He made a sudden leap towards her and she turned to run out the door but Jim blocked her path. "Jim!" she moaned.

"A man has to preserve his dignity," he shrugged.

Beth turned to face Miguel, who was grinning from ear to ear. He grabbed her and hoisted her over his shoulder, kicking and screaming. With her balanced precariously, he walked up onto the edge of the pool and made to drop her over the edge. Beth shrieked and closed her eyes. He let her dangle for a few moments before pulling her back over and setting her down. She stared at him in disbelief.

"You big tease!" she yelped and playfully slapped him round the head.

"Why are you always hitting me?" he exclaimed

"Hitting you? More like hitting _on_ you!" Lonnie joked. Beth gave her an evil glare and looked embarrassed.

"That would explain it," Miguel grinned. He jumped down off the edge of the moon pool as Darwin surfaced next to them.

"Beth swim with Darwin?" he asked. They all laughed.

"Not right now," Beth smiled. She placed a hand on Miguel's shoulder to steady herself.

He took her other hand and helped her step onto the ground, reluctant to let go, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly protective. He found himself recalling the first time they'd met. She'd been so eager to learn about the WSKRS and was incredibly quick to pick everything up. In fact it was probably their mutual interest in the sensor devices that had led to their closeness in the first place. It was only now that Miguel realised it was because of her genetic enhancements that she'd been able to process everything so quickly.

By the time they got back to the lounge a few others had gathered. Selecting a table out of the way, they got themselves some drinks and snacks and sat back down. Tony loaded some music to play and grabbed himself some chips, chocolate sauce and cheese. He poured them all into a bowl.

"I can't believe you eat that crap!" Wendy said

"Hey – thou shall not use the 'c' word to describe my beverage," Tony retorted. Wendy laughed. "So…enough of this dare crap, let's have some juicy truths," he said, "Who hasn't been yet?"

Everybody looked at Wendy. There was silence as they all tried to think of a good question. "Out of all the people here, who's mind did you last read?" Lucas asked.

Wendy mumbled, taken aback. "Uh…"

"Come on Doctor – truth," Lucas goaded.

"Alright – it was yours actually," she admitted.

Lucas was startled. "What? I didn't feel anything. Why me?"

Wendy smiled, "I was bored and you hadn't had a turn yet."

"Find anything interesting?" Tim asked

"Not really – just women, sex…and Darwin," Wendy teased, raising a roar of laughter from everyone.

"I got one," Jonathan piped up. "A truth - if someone were to write a book about you, what would they call it? And I'm asking Lonnie and Lucas."

"Ladies first," Lucas smiled.

"Thanks," Lonnie grimaced. "Um, '_How to Ruin a Date in Five Steps_,' she laughed.

The men all looked at Tim, who was nodding in agreement. Lonnie didn't miss the gesture; she immediately found his foot under the table and planted her heel on it with considerable force. He yelped, lifting his knee and hitting it off the bottom of the table, making it jump.

"Hey watch it!" Jim complained, mopping up his spilt drink.

"Sorry," Tim frowned, nursing his knee and foot.

"What about you, Lucas?" Lonnie asked.

"Easy," he proclaimed, "_How Not To Raise A Child_," he joked, but the honesty behind it was palpable, leaving the rest of them unsure how to respond.

"You haven't turned out _that_ bad, Lucas," Tim reassured.

"Yeah well, I can assure you – that's not down to my parents."

"At least you have parents," Tim continued. "I mean look at Dagwood and Beth – they'll never know who they came from. And Jim – we all saw how much he missed not having his Mother in his life."

"Thanks, O'Neill," Jim added, sheepishly, not keen on being reminded of his emotional weaknesses.

"At least you have someone to blame your faults on," Beth added. "All I have to blame is myself," she joked.

"Who said I had faults?" Lucas asked, breaking into a smile. He batted Tony away as he tried to ruffle his hair, playfully.

"Alright, this is too deep for me; let's get to the good stuff," Tony announced. "What turns everybody on? What's the first thing that springs to mind?"

"Intelligence," Lucas answered.

"Kindness," Lonnie said.

"Self-confidence I guess," said Jim.

"Yeah, with a hot physique thrown in for good measure," Jonathan agreed.

"Someone who makes me feel comfortable in myself," said Beth, "and I have a thing about being kissed on my neck," she grinned.

"Oh yeah," Lonnie agreed, "That _is_ nice." The men looked amused.

"I find openness a very attractive quality," Wendy said.

"I like a woman who can cook," Tim smiled.

"I'm with Jim – I like self-confidence, someone who isn't afraid to be themselves, likes to have fun and has a kind heart," Miguel admitted. "Oh, and I have a thing for singers…obviously," he joked. Everyone laughed.

"I personally like my chicks lean, up for it, and with a short term memory, so they forget I didn't call them back," Tony said. Lonnie, Wendy and Beth all gaped in shock. He ducked as Lonnie threw a food wrapper at him, disgusted.

"You have no respect for women," she told him.

"That's not true, I have plenty respect for women. I just have a lot more respect for the sex they give me." He and the other men laughed.

"I don't get it," Beth said "I never have – what do you get out of a one night stand, besides the one, fleeting moment of pleasure?"

"What are you kidding me?" Tony asked, aghast. "It's what you don't get – no nagging phone calls, no shopping trips, no lean cuisine – it's the perfect arrangement."

"Whatever happened to sex being this beautiful expression of how much you love someone?" Beth asked honestly and looked around the table. Everyone was silent. None of them could think of anything to say. They all contemplated and secretly agreed with her statement.

For Miguel it came as somewhat of a revelation. His heart swelled as he suddenly realised he wanted to be the man to show her that such a love still existed.

Across the table, Wendy caught his thought and smiled to herself.

"Sometimes it's not all about being deep and meaningful," Jonathan suddenly spoke. "Sometimes two people can be so isolated that they just need to feel like they're not alone."

No one had expected such a frank response from him. He was clearly speaking from experience, which made finding an appropriate response all the more challenging.

"If I'd known things were gonna turn out this depressing, I'd never have asked," Tony quipped, lightening the mood and raising faint smiles of relief.

Their attention was grasped by a commotion at the other end of the hall. Two sailors had cranked up the music and were dancing ridiculously, trying to liven the mood.

"That's more like it – come on, Dag!" Tony spluttered through a last mouthful of food, before standing up to dance and clap among the others.

"What do I do?" Dagwood asked, standing among them and trying to mimic their movements.

A few more plucked up the courage to join in, pushing back the tables to give them more room. Those remaining at the tables laughed and tapped their feet along with them, refusing repeated attempts at getting them up to dance.

"What's up, I thought you liked dancing?" Jim asked Beth.

"What?" Miguel smiled, looking at Jim for more information.

"Yeah – she used to take dance lessons at school. You should have seen her – she had one of those stupid pink frilly things and everything," he teased.

"Is that right?" Miguel laughed.

"Enough," she scowled at them both.

"Anyone else heading in?" Wendy asked, resting her chin wearily on her hand.

"Yeah," Tim agreed.

"Yeah, me too," Lonnie nodded. "Let's put this stuff away," she suggested, referring to the accumulation of food wrappings, drinks glasses and plates at their table.

Taking a handful they each contributed to the clean-up operation, dodging in and out of their dancing counterparts, trying to avoid being dragged into the madness. Some of them weren't so successful, being caught by the arm and led into what could only be described as an eclectic mix of the jive and hip-hop.

Wendy, Tim and Beth were a few of the unlucky victims, struggling to get away at first but eventually relenting and putting on the same ridiculous performance as the others. Beth shrieked as Tony spun her round the room at high speed, flicking loose at the earliest possible opportunity to stumble over to the nearest table, which Miguel was perched on with his back to the wall and legs stretched out ahead of him. Seeing her approach, he held out his hand and pulled her up to sit next to him.

"Crazy," she commented.

"What? The dancing or Piccolo?"

"Both," she smiled. "It's nice to see everyone so relaxed though, especially after the day we've had."

"It's ended better than it started," he mused.

"Yeah," she said, gazing up at him in agreement. She settled back against the wall, her shoulder rubbing against his and tentatively, but with more ease than she expected, leaned her head over to rest on his shoulder.

Surprised, but pleased, he pulled his arm up and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer in return, and rested his head on hers. She rested her arm over his and they linked their fingers, sitting in silent contentment.

"How did you imagine things between us?" she asked quietly, curious about what his idea of a 'perfect' reunion had been.

"I don't know," he shrugged, slightly embarrassed, "I always kinda hoped you'd come back onboard to do more of your work, or we'd meet you at some science convention, or you'd get in touch."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I never did. My head was all over the place right after Bill died, and then everything else happened…" she paused, "So, I come back onboard, then what?"

"Then this, I guess, without all the other stuff," he stopped and silently kicked himself, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, it's ok," she said reassuringly, stroking his hand.

"Can I ask you about happened?" he asked quietly, gently tracing his finger over her hand.

"What do you want to know?" she spoke under her breath.

"How did you survive in there?"

Beth took a breath. "I had to keep believing that somehow I'd get out. That I still had a life to get back to. If I hadn't had something to hold onto, I wouldn't have survived."

"Were you scared?"

"All the time." She swallowed, "I still get scared. I still can't close my eyes without seeing it."

Miguel brought his hand up to stroke her cheek. He gently lifted her face to his. "Would you show me?" he asked.

She looked him in the eyes, questioning. "You're serious aren't you?"

He nodded, "I want to understand."

"You want to know what was so bad that drove me to pills?" she smiled, teasing.

He smiled back, relieved that she could be so light hearted about it – a sure sign of recovery. "I don't doubt it was bad. I just want to understand what you went through."

"I know," she said, debating with herself over how much to show him before deciding against the whole idea. "Give it time, ok? We've just got back on an even keel; I don't want things knocked off balance again."

"Sure," he agreed, disappointed, but understanding her reasons. For the brief moment before the others came over to join them, he held her close, relishing in the moment of intimacy. "I missed you," he whispered.

"I missed you, too," she admitted, pressing her ear to his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart and letting the rhythm merge with her own.

But the moment was over as fast as it began, and they shuffled apart to help rearrange the room and tidy away the remaining dishes.

"You _really_ care about her don't you?" Jim asked Miguel as they moved the tables back into place for the breakfast run.

Miguel looked at him, surprised by his directness. "Yeah, I do," he nodded.

Grateful for his honesty, Jim gave him a slap on the back and nodded in return as they rejoined the others, yawning, round the table.

"I really mean it this time, I'm going to bed," Wendy sighed.

"I'll join you," Lucas agreed. They were heading the same direction anyway.

"Just wait a few minutes," Jonathan told them. "Sit back down a second."

"A few minutes? A second? What's it going to be, Commander? We're tired," Jim teased.

"Do you want to hear this or not?" Jonathan asked them.

"What is it?" Tim asked, intrigued.

"I only caught wind of this yesterday, so nothing's confirmed, but I thought it might lift you all up a bit," he began.

"Is this leading anywhere?" Jim continued to tease.

Jonathan ignored him and continued. "In two months time, the UEO is holding a summit for confederation delegates at New Cape Quest. But to coincide with it, they're throwing some ball so that the delegates can meet members of the fleet."

"I don't like where this is headed," Jim groaned.

Tim's enthusiasm matched Jim's. "We're not invited are we?" he asked.

"Come on!" Jonathan laughed, "It's meant to be a bit of fun."

"So we are invited?" Lonnie asked with a little more excitement than the others.

Jonathan cringed. "Well, not exactly. The senior staff are probably for sure, but the rest might be random crew. I don't know, I'm sorry."

"I hear the secret's out of the bag," a voice called from the doorway. They all turned to see Nathan watching them sternly with a touch of amusement. "About time you were all in your quarters don't you think?" he suggested before walking away, unobtrusively.

"Yeah," Wendy agreed, and began to shepherd them out of the mess hall and along the decks to their respective quarters.

***

"Hey," Jim piped up as he and Jonathan walked along the deck. "At least if certain people don't get invited, we can invite them as our plus one. I mean, I'm assuming this'll be a plus one event."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked, too tired to decipher any hidden meaning.

"Come on, Commander, isn't there someone on the crew you've got your eye on?" he teased. "I know I have."

"You've _always_ got an eye on _somebody_," Jonathan quipped. "I could report you for that you know – being against regulation and all," he teased.

"Always by the book, huh?" he laughed, opening the hatch to his quarters, "Night, Sir," he saluted before disappearing inside, leaving Jonathan to contemplate the topic; who, if anyone, would he invite?


	6. Chapter 6

_**Apologies for the long delay in updating – lots of things happening at once!**_

The next eight weeks provided little time for contemplation and rebuilding relationships, but still, since the events at the research station, Beth and Miguel had intentionally tried to set aside time for each other. They both felt the need to reconnect and had found that nights of talking, eating and laughing seemed to do the job just fine.

She knocked on his door late one evening, waiting for his permission to enter before turning the handle and opening the hatch.

"Hey," he said happily, turning to smile at her. He was seated at the desk with the computer screen active in front of him.

Curious, she walked down the steps and stood behind his chair.

"Check this out," he said, loading some pictures onto the screen. An image of two giggling toddlers appeared, perched on the knees of a beaming, attractive female. "My nephews," Miguel smiled proudly, "they were three recently. Aren't they gorgeous? My sister just sent me these pictures."

Beth smiled in surprise and leaned on the back of the chair. The last time they'd spoken about Daniella, she was still pregnant, and now she had two little devils to call her own. It served as another reminder of how much time they'd missed out on. "They look like a right pair of troublemakers. I bet they keep their mum on her toes."

Miguel changed the picture to one taken when he'd spent some time at home before the second tour began. He had one boy under each arm and was grinning broadly. "That's adorable," she laughed.

"Thanks," Miguel turned and grinned cheekily. She chuckled and gave his head a light push. He selected another picture of the entire family. There were 23 of them in the picture.

"You've got a great family," she mused, feeling the urge that she did every now and then, wishing she had a family of her own.

"You'll have to meet them sometime."

"They'd eat me alive," she smiled.

Miguel burst into a laugh, "They aren't _that_ bad!" This time he selected a video. The two young boys were running around the garden, giggling, being chased by their uncle.

She looked down at the expression Miguel wore as he watched. He was smiling at the screen with love in his eyes. He clearly adored those boys.

Turning off the video, he swivelled round to look at her. "What are you doing up this late anyway?" he asked.

"I actually came to beg and borrow," she cringed.

"Uh oh!" he joked, bracing himself. "What do you need?"

Beth had no belongings, so had to make do with whatever she could beg and borrow from the crew. That was partly why she was so excited about the impending shore leave; she could get some shopping done. She'd just been to do her laundry and the only available machine was broken, leaving her nothing to sleep in.

"Do you have an old shirt?" she asked.

"What for?"

"To sleep in – the laundry machines are playing up again."

Miguel smiled to himself. "I think I have an old one lying around somewhere." He stood up and opened his wardrobe. He raked around before pulling out a khaki green, long sleeved shirt. He held it up. "That do?"

She took it and held it up against herself. "Perfect," she said.

He stood smiling, eyeing her thoughtfully. "You sleeping in my shirt…" he raised an eyebrow, "…now that's an image," he whistled.

She threw the shirt at him, aghast. "You are such a pervert!"

"Am not!" he laughed.

"This coming from the guy who spends shore leave riding around in a boat scouting for women!?!" she said.

"Hey, I'm a red-blooded male!" he said, raising his hands in defence.

"And don't I know it," she winked.

Miguel winked and handed back the shirt. "You sleep any better last night?" he asked. From the ever-present greyness under her eyes, he guessed the answer was no. He took her lead as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Not really," she sighed. "Just the same as every night. I slept fine for a while then woke and couldn't settle again."

"Yeah, Jonathan said you've been up with the lark every morning this week," he commented, with underlying concern. He'd seen once before what the constant nightmares and sleeplessness could do to her.

"It'll get better," she told him, patting him on the leg and trying to sound upbeat. With a half-hearted smile, she stood up and went to leave. "Thanks for the shirt," she said, reaching for the handle to open the hatch.

"Hey," he called out. Once she'd turned, he motioned with his hand for her to come to him.

She hesitated, still getting used to the closeness they were building on, but her own desire for comfort won out and she walked back down the steps into his arms, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"I'm here if you want to talk it out," he told her.

"I know," she whispered, gratefully.

"Goodnight," he said and gave her head a tender kiss.

The gesture surprised her. "You haven't done that in a long time," she remarked.

"I know," he replied.

"Goodnight," she said, and gave him one last squeeze before heading out the door.

***

The crew were used to relentless action, but the encounters they had over the following weeks began to feel intensely personal in nature, with more than one crewmember intentionally targeted. The boat, also, took its' fair share of knocks, not least when a renegade psychic gained access to the nuclear ordnance silo and almost blew a hole in the hull.

The incident with Clay Marshall had briefly made Bridger wary of Beth again. It had been yet another reminder of how powerful these people could be, and how wrong things could go if it they tried to abuse that power. Upon allowing Marshall to come aboard, he had ordered Beth to be placed in the shelter, out of harms way. Clay was well known for his ability to manipulate minds, and if he managed to get inside Beth's, chaos was fairly guaranteed to ensue. It was safer for everyone if he didn't know of her existence.

While Jonathan and Jim kept tabs on Marshall and his assistant, Miguel was assigned to keep watch on Beth in the shelter, a task he took on enthusiastically, glad to be out of the way while he was onboard.

"I don't like the thought of that guy being in my head," he admitted.

Beth looked at him, startled. "Is that how you feel about me?"

He stopped pacing and sat down next to her. "No! Of course not!" he insisted.

"How is it any different?" she asked.

"I trust you," he explained, slipping his hand into hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze, before returning to stand at the door.

They'd all been lucky to survive with their hides intact that day.

***

Between that incident, confronting an alien parasite and almost losing O'Neill in an armed standoff, Jonathan was well in need of some R & R. Unfortunately, for the time being, all thoughts of shore leave were firmly at the back of his mind. He, Brody, Henderson and Ortiz had set off on a covert mission to recover Seaman Piccolo from the hands of the South American Confederation. They'd infiltrated the compound, but Tony had already made a break for it, leaving them to be discovered, outnumbered by heavily armed guards, and led to a cell, where they were now festering, waiting…

***

Lucas entered the moon pool to find Beth sitting on the floor listening to humpback whale recordings. She looked at him briefly as he entered, then resumed staring into space. She'd just returned from a meeting on the mainland with the _Briers-Allen_ Management Group. With Dagwood as a permanent escort and a tracking beacon attached to her at all times, the Captain had finally allowed her some freedom. She had been full of anticipation at being able to resume work on the project. When she returned she was so refreshed and enthusiastic that Lucas' heart wrenched at having to tell her the news. Dagwood had been no less upset at learning his friends were being held captive. After the Captain had finished talking to her, she'd disappeared.

"Is that Ripple or Crush?" Lucas asked, referring to the humpback sounds.

"Crush," Beth smiled thinly, "he's fathered three calves since we last saw him."

"No way!" Lucas grinned.

Beth nodded. "And you know what's better? They found out Daisy had a calf," she smiled.

"That's fantastic," he sighed, knowing how much the loss of Daisy to whalers had affected her and the crew.

They fell silent once more. Lucas leaned against the edge of the pool.

"Is this what it's like every time?" she asked.

"Feeling helpless? Yeah, pretty much."

She gave a deep sigh and ran her hand over her head.

"They'll be alright," Lucas reassured and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was anguished. Jim was the closest thing she had to family, and Miguel…

Captain Bridger's voice called through the ship. "Lucas, get to the bridge!"

***

Lonnie stood keeping watch by the door of the cell with Jonathan.

"Look for any patterns in the changing of the guard," he told her quietly. She looked to him with nervous eyes. He nodded, and tentatively gave her hand a squeeze, indicating she was doing well. She nodded back with a more determined set.

Jim looked to Miguel, who was sitting on the edge of the bunk with a thoughtful expression, mingled with concern. He moved to sit by him.

"I'm going to take three guesses…and they all begin with 'B'," he commented.

"Yeah," was Miguel's simple response. He hadn't seen Beth since she left for the mainland over a week ago. He couldn't even remember the last thing he'd said to her. He'd been so busy on the bridge he'd missed her leaving. Although the boat was never quiet and there were always plenty of people around, he'd got used to her being there and being part of the crew. There was silence between them as they listened to the sound of footsteps walking by the door.

"Beth told me about your green eyes," Jim teased.

"What?"

"You know, that you were jealous."

Miguel looked unimpressed. "I'll be sure to thank her for that," he growled.

Jim breathed a laugh. "Listen, if anyone has reason to be jealous it's me. In all the years I've known her, I'd never seen her cry until she came onboard," he admitted.

Miguel looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "She told you about that too?"

"Yeah."

Miguel's thoughts drifted back to Doctor Brier's funeral and holding Beth against his chest while she cried her heart out.

"It takes a lot for her to let her guard down. They punished her for showing weakness, that's why she keeps things to herself," Jim explained.

Miguel nodded in silent agreement.

"Showing any kind of emotion is one thing, but showing what's in her heart is a totally different ball game," Jim paused, "she's never going to admit what she feels unless she knows it's going to be reciprocated."

Miguel threw him a harsh glance and pursed his lips.

Jim gave him a slap across the back and moved back to the door. There were stirrings outside. Miguel stood to join them and they listened to the chatter on the other side of the door.

***

Full of relief, Tim waited in the launch bay for his friends to arrive. Ever since his encounter with Mariah, he'd made sure not to take things onboard for granted. The crew had risked everything to save his life, and in doing so had made him realise just how valued he was onboard after all, which made it all the more important to him that they were safe.

Commander Ford and the Captain had stayed behind with Tony to clean things up, while Lonnie, Jim and Miguel were sent back to seaQuest. Dagwood, Lucas and Beth also waited beside him.

"seaQuest, this is shuttle MR-IV on final approach, request clearance for docking," the pilot's voice came through Tim's headset.

"Roger MR-IV you are cleared for docking, proceed to docking bay two," Tim replied. It seemed an age before the outer doors swung open to reveal the tired but relieved faces of their friends. All four of them walked up the steps to greet them.

"Good to have you back," Tim said as he gave Miguel a slap on the shoulder.

Lonnie grinned as Beth gave her a warm embrace, followed by Lucas and Dagwood.

"Good work," Dagwood told Jim and gave him a strong slap on the back, almost knocking him off balance.

"Thanks Dag," he smiled. He looked to Beth. "You miss me?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled and rolled her eyes then gave him a quick hug. He pulled away and walked down the steps, talking animatedly with Lucas and Tim.

"I could so do with a black and bitter," Lonnie sighed.

Beth laughed, "I'm sure we can fix something up," she said. She turned to Miguel.

"See what happens when I leave?" she joked with a serious undertone.

Miguel cleared his throat. "Welcome back Miguel, glad you're alright Miguel, I've missed you Miguel," he mocked - tired and bordering on frustration.

She immediately realised she'd said the wrong thing and wrapped her arms tightly around him, sighing with relief. |He embraced her hard, breaking the brief tension between them.

"How was the meeting?" he asked.

"Screw the meeting, I'm just glad you're safe."

"Me too," he sighed. She patted his chest and smiled. Together they all walked to the mess hall to get some well-earned grub.


	7. Chapter 7

As the stress of the past few weeks began to subside, the crew slowly turned their thoughts to the impending days of freedom. On the day before shore leave, one topic remained the focus of conversation for Jim and Jonathan, as they enjoyed lunch after coming off forenoon watch.

"It'll be easy, women love a man in uniform," Jim smiled, confidently, boasting on how easily they'd manage to pull at the ball.

"It's a military thing!!! Half the men there will be in uniform!" Ford exclaimed, pointing out the major flaw in Jim's plan.

"Then we'll just have to stand out then, won't we?" Jim grinned.

Before Jonathan could come up with a suitable comeback, the ship was illuminated in emergency lighting and the sirens began to blare, as the boat was rigged for red.

"_What?_" Jim whined.

"General quarters, general quarters, all hands man your battle stations. XO to the bridge," O'Neill announced over the PA system. Jonathan threw down his napkin and groaned.

Jim simply smiled. "Tough luck," he grinned at Jonathan.

"Mr Brody to the bridge, Mr Brody to the bridge," O'Neill added over the speakers, causing Jim's face to fall and Jonathan's to light up in amusement.

"Karma," Jonathan commented as he and Jim left their half-eaten lunches and made their way to the bridge.

***

"Situation report, Mr O'Neill," Ford said as he took the Captain's seat on the bridge a few minutes later. Brody took the tactical station.

"We've just received a message from Rodman Naval Base, Sir. Another munitions raid."

"Another? That's the third base to be hit in as many months," Ford exclaimed. "What information do we have?"

"Not much, there was just the one message. The Captain is in a conference call with them now," O'Neill told him. "They've sent us the escape trajectory and specifications of the submarine involved. We've been ordered to give chase."

Brody raised his eyebrows, "They must have got something worth worrying about this time."

Ford sat and studied the data from Rodman at his console. The sub was small – a short-range vessel, combat ineffective, which meant they were probably looking for a mother ship on the surface not too far away. But finding a small sub in a big ocean was easier said than done.

He looked up from his station, a plan already decided.

"Feed the escape trajectory into navigation. Helm, bring us around – relative bearing 067 degrees, speed at two-thirds."

"067 degrees, two-thirds, aye, Sir," Henderson responded.

"Keep WSKRS spread out in a bow array, Mr Ortiz, scanning for fuel particles," Ford told the Sensor Chief.

"Aye, Sir," Ortiz said and promptly arranged the three satellites, one just ahead of the bow and two trailing parallel to each other, level with the forward dive planes. He set the lead WSKR to focus on surface scanning, while the other two performed broad sweeps from bow to aft on both port and starboard sides.

"How far ahead of us are they?" Ford asked.

"Not far, Sir. Course projections predict their trajectory will intersect with us in approximately 18 miles," Ortiz informed him,

"Unless it was a bluff and they doubled back on themselves," Brody added.

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Ford said, sternly. "Helm, keep her steady," he said, as the seaQuest continued to follow the expected course of the escaped submarine.

Travelling at a speed of 80 knots, far above their normal speed, it took just over ten minutes to reach the projected intersection co-ordinates, at which point the entire bridge crew stepped up their level of alertness. Minutes ticked by with no sign of any vessels in the vicinity and Ford began to wonder whether Brody had been right. Seven minutes after crossing the co-ordinates, Ortiz called out.

"Contact, small submersible to the starboard bow. It matches the Rodman sub. And there's a vessel on the surface 5000 metres ahead, Sir."

"Sir, the two vessels appear to be exchanging radio transmissions," O'Neill reported.

"There's our mother ship," Ford commented. "Reduce speed, bring us to a stop below the surface vessel."

"Sir, I think you should take a look at this," Ortiz stared intently at his console, trying to reconcile the information he was receiving from the WSKRS about the sub.

Ford stooped over his shoulder, "What have you got, Mr Ortiz?" he asked.

"It's the schematics of this sub – it's UEO. It pretty much matches the one that was stolen in the Solomon's two months ago."

Ford's stomach balked at the memory of the refugee's hatred towards the UEO and hoped that they hadn't done anything stupid. "That sub could be in anyone's hands by now," he said, more for himself than the benefit of the crew, and returned to his chair.

"Whoever has it, Commander, they're playing one serious game," Brody said sternly.

"O'Neill, hail the surface vessel," Ford ordered.

O'Neill nodded and sent a transmission to the ship. "Unidentified surface vessel, this is the UEO vessel seaQuest, please identify yourself and state your intentions." He waited, listening to the open channel for a response, but it seemed the crew on the surface ship were going to be less than forthcoming. "No response, Sir," he told Ford.

"Keep trying. Ortiz, where's the sub?"

""Making for the surface vessel, Sir, still off our starboard bow."

"Where's the Captain?" Ford sighed, exasperated.

As they neared the mother ship, Ortiz yelled out. "Second contact, bearing 234 degrees off our port stern, 3000 metres and closing. She's coming in fast."

"Identification," Ford asked.

"It's a small attack craft, Sir," Ortiz informed.

"Rodman never said anything about a second sub," Brody said angrily.

"Maybe they didn't know," Ford suggested. "How far are we from the surface vessel?"

Henderson checked her instruments, "We'll be under her in one minute, Sir."

"Move us into position between the mother ship and the first sub. If they've got stolen munitions, we're not letting them get onboard," Ford barked.

"Sir!" Ortiz shouted. "The attack craft is within firing range. She's moving into an attack position."

"Threat or bluff, Mr Ortiz?" Brody asked.

"Definite threat, Sir. She's flooded her tubes, outer torpedo doors are opening, and she's performing targeting sweeps."

"Brody, prepare counter-measures! Helm; evasive manoeuvres; hard to port!"

"Enemy craft has a lock, and she's fired. Two, three, four Mark 18 torpedoes in the water. Impact in 24 seconds!" Ortiz looked to Ford.

"Engage intercepts!" Ford ordered.

"Intercepts away!" Brody confirmed.

They all waited anxiously. "Intercept in 8 seconds…4 seconds, 3, 2, 1…three, four, all enemy torpedoes down," Ortiz said, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"O'Neill! Hail the enemy sub and tell them that if they do not back down, we will be forced to fire," Ford barked.

O'Neill relayed the message to the attack craft and waited for a response – nothing came. He looked to Ortiz for any sign that the craft had backed off.

"Craft maintaining attack posture," Ortiz stated.

"Give them a final warning, Mr O'Neill." Ford hoped to God that the crew of that craft would see sense, but had Brody arm the forward torpedoes in case they were pushed into a corner. "10% charge, Mr Brody, I don't want to blow them out of the water. Aim for their propulsion."

Once again, the craft refused to respond. By this time, they'd managed to distract the seaQuest long enough to allow the other sub to be safely brought onboard the mother ship, a fact Henderson had just noticed.

"Sir, the surface vessel has powered up her engines, she's getting ready to make steam," she told Ford.

"Should we follow?" Brody asked. But it seemed the attack craft had no intentions of letting them do any such thing.

"Enemy craft has flooded torpedo tubes, outer doors opening. She's preparing to launch a second strike," Ortiz shouted.

"Brody," Ford nodded, "launch torpedoes," he said.

"Aye, Sir, torpedoes going hot."

"Enemy sub undertaking evasive manoeuvres. All torpedoes have missed their target, Sir," Ortiz said to a dismayed Ford and Brody.

"Arm second barrage, same charge…fire," Ford ordered. Just as he did so, the clam doors buzzed open and Bridger marched towards them.

"Ceasefire! Hold the birds tight, Commander!" Bridger bellowed as he walked onto the bridge.

"Abort strike!" Ford promptly ordered. He stood up, slightly stunned, from the Captain's chair and let Bridger take his place. Brody moved to allow Ford into the station to the Captain's right.

"Report, Commander!" Bridger barked.

"Sir, we intercepted the sub from Rodman and in trying to prevent her boarding her mother ship we came under fire from an unidentified attack craft. We assume she's affiliated with the other ships. There have been no answers to our hails on both the surface vessel and the attack craft. Sir, why call in the big guns? I mean, why is the navy so concerned about a raid on a cupboard of pulse rifles?"

"Because they were pretty big pulse rifles Commander, of the nuclear missile variety," Bridger quipped.

On the mention of the word 'nuclear' all heads on the bridge snapped towards the Captain. Ford's breath caught in his throat as he realised why Bridger had prevented him firing the torpedoes. Any nuclear missile in existence these days was bound to be highly unstable.

"What are they doing keeping nuclear missiles lying around?" Ford asked, aghast.

"The heads at the UEO are asking themselves the same question. What worries me more, is how those mercenaries knew they were there. Let's concentrate on the job at hand," Bridger told them. "Keep pace with the mother ship, but keep a firing solution locked on that attack craft."

"Sir, the surface vessel has just launched an object into the water directly ahead of us," Ortiz informed them.

"Specifics, Mr Ortiz?" Bridger asked, with a sarcastic edge. "A missile?"

"No, Sir, something else. I'm sending in a WSKR," Ortiz replied.

Without warning, the seaQuest was suddenly rocked by a sizable explosion, shuddering the crew in their seats, and causing chaos throughout the boat, as unsecured objects were launched in all directions.

"Captain, I've lost contact with the lead WSKR," Ortiz said, dismayed at the loss of Mother. "Surface vessel has launched another object."

"Depth charges?" Ford asked.

"Those don't feel like depth charges, too long a delay. Get another WSKR on it," Bridger ordered.

Within seconds of sending out Loner, the boat lurched as another explosion pulsed through the water.

Ortiz checked his screen anxiously, only to have the worst confirmed. "Second WSKR down, Sir!" he said, angrily. "Three more objects have launched from the surface vessel."

"All stop!" Bridger ordered. "Cut all engines. Mr Ortiz, freeze the remaining WSKR and disengage the sonar."

As the persistent hum of the engines and the repetitive sonar ping ceased to sound, the crew suddenly became highly aware of their breathing and rapid heartbeats. Shuffling feet and clicking fingernails promptly stopped. They all froze with the boat.

"What is it?" Ford asked.

"Influence mines," Bridger said ominously. "Any acoustic or magnetic disturbance will set them off. Damage report," he asked Brody.

"We have a straight board, Sir."

"Mr Ortiz, where were those last mines positioned?" Bridger asked.

"About 1000 metres directly ahead, Sir."

"Alright, bring in the remaining WSKR. Still no answer to our hail?" Bridger asked O'Neill.

"No, Sir."

"Not very sociable," Ford commented.

"I wonder why," Brody joked. "What's the plan, Captain?"

"We're going to have to deep dive under them," Bridger said, as he looked to Ford.

Ford nodded and bellowed out the order. "Secure the boat! Ortiz, sound deep submergence."

"Aye, Sir." He spoke into the PA system, "Attention all hands, initiating deep submergence protocol, all crew relocate to their designated dive modules."

***

"Great!" Beth said, quickly saving her work and running to the nearest communications panel. She set the system to play into all the science labs around the ship. "All science personnel to the moon pool. Secure your equipment, close all hatches and seal watertight doors behind you; prepare for deep submergence."

She grabbed the staff roster she was obligated to carry around with her while on duty, and, after sealing the airlock behind her, quickly made her way down from the hydroponics lab on B-Deck to the moon pool. On the way, she stopped past the C-Deck science lab, and, predictably, found Lucas still sat at his computer.

"Lucas, come on, let's go," she said sternly, waving him and the other staff out the door. "Quick as you can, please," she directed everyone along the corridor and through the doors to the moon pool, where she began to tick them all off. As assistant chief, she was responsible for ensuring all the team were in the right place during an emergency.

"I hope this is an exercise," one of them commented.

"We're at general quarters," Beth snipped, "this isn't an exercise."

***

One by one all the division heads checked in. Engineering, supply, medical, combat, navigation, operations. Ortiz sat, waiting patiently for the science contingent to call in. They were last by a long shot.

"All science personnel accounted for, Mr Ortiz," Beth's voice finally came through his headset. He nodded with relief, and relayed the information to the Captain. "Everyone's checked in, Sir, we're rigged for dive."

"Start the dive, Commander. Take us down to 15,000 feet."

"Aye, Sir. Henderson, take us down, dive planes at maximum."

"Diving, Sir."

The crew sat gazing around them as the boat's fittings began to creak and groan under the pressure of the deep dive.

"10,000 feet, 11,000, 12,000," Ortiz counted out. "13,000, 14,000…we're at 15,000 feet, Sir."

"Helm, move us forward 5000 feet, then bring us up to our previous depth. I want sonar back online and the remaining WSKR deployed as soon as we're up," Bridger commanded.

"Roger that, Sir," Ford confirmed.

At the helm, Henderson and Tyler eased her forward, struggling against the enormous pressures acting on the boat at the extreme depths. As the boat ceased forward movement and slowly started ascending, equalising pressure as she went, Ortiz began re-booting the sonar, ready to activate on the Captain's order.

"Previous depth achieved, Sir," Tyler informed them.

"Give me eyes, Mr Ortiz," Bridger asked.

Ortiz activated the sonar and re-launched Junior, silently praying there weren't any more mines lurking around. Within a few seconds, he was receiving information about the location of the surface vessel.

"Mother ship bearing 026 degrees off our starboard bow, making good speed at 20 knots."

"Lock in pursuit course," Ford told the helm, "but take it easy, not too close."

"Where are those mines?" Bridger asked.

"Out of range, Sir, the water is clear. No sign of the attack craft either."

"Good, O'Neill, hail them again, order them to stop. Tell them we will not hesitate to fire if we receive any provocation."

Once again, O'Neill opened a communications channel and attempted to contact the mother ship.

"They know we won't fire on them," Ford commented.

"Got any better ideas?" Bridger quipped.

"Sir, I've received a response from the mother ship," O'Neill said, with a mixture of surprise and trepidation.

"What did they say?" Ford asked.

"We'll see," O'Neill said simply, causing Ford and Bridger to exchange a worried glance.

"Depth charges – two away!" Ortiz shouted, snapping the commanding officers out of their thoughts.

"Sound collision!" Bridger barked.

Ford sounded sirens throughout the boat and yelled into the communications system. "All hands brace for impact, all hands brace for impact!" He looked at Brody standing behind his seat. He quickly moved away and grabbed what he could, while everyone else belted themselves into their seats.

***

At the moon pool, the science team braced themselves for the incoming blast. Lucas grimaced. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the way those explosions jarred your bones until they literally ached. As the depth charges hit, one after the other, he was thrown back against the side of the moon pool. He shook his head to clear his vision and looked up with horror as the entire work unit, next to where Beth and three others were huddled, began to topple over.

***

"Everyone alright?" Bridger asked them all.

Ford and O'Neill nodded, trying to clear the aftermath of the blast from their heads.

"Another depth charge away!" Ortiz warned.

With the collision alarms still blaring, the crew braced themselves for the explosion, but none came. Instead they were engulfed by darkness, as all the ship's systems simultaneously went offline. The crew looked around them, confused. Ortiz hammered furiously on his keyboard, trying to spur it into life.

"EMP," Bridger groaned. "Engage the back-up systems," he ordered.

Ortiz jumped down from his station and began to re-boot the computer. The ship buzzed to life and the reassuring sonar 'ping' started up again. He hurriedly climbed back up to his station to assess the status of Junior, the remaining WSKR, but the satellite was dead – he was receiving no feedback from it.

"All WSKRS down, Captain," he said, devastated.

Ford and Bridger looked at Ortiz with sympathy. "Thank you, Mr Ortiz," Bridger said. "Use the sonar to get me a location on that ship, and get us underway."

"An EMP? That's a pretty impressive arsenal for a bunch of mercenaries," Brody commented. Ford nodded in silent agreement.

"Pursuit course locked," Helmswoman Tyler called out.

"Captain!" Lucas' voice suddenly rang through the bridge. "We're gonna need a med-team to the moon-pool."

"Are you hurt?" Bridger asked, anxiously.

"No, I'm alright, but others aren't. One of the work units fell."

"Captain, reports of more casualties are coming in from all over the ship," Ortiz informed him.

"Engineering is showing an amber warning for the hatch combing between section one and two on D-deck," Brody reported.

"We're losing bearing," Henderson said, referring to their pursuit of the mother ship.

"Full stop," Bridger ordered. "Disengage the chase," he said, realising that in their current condition, any further pursuit was futile.

"All stop, Sir," Helmswoman Tyler confirmed.

The bridge crew watched Bridger eagerly to find out their next move.

"Relay our co-ordinates to the UEO. Tell them we're combat ineffective and have broken off pursuit of a surface vessel believed to be carrying stolen munitions from the raid on Rodman Naval Base. Send their trajectory, and tell them there are live influence mines in the area."

"What about us, Sir?" Ford asked.

"Commence repairs and set a course for homeport, Commander," Bridger said, wearily.

"Aye, Sir!" Ford said, with a little too much eagerness for his own liking.


	8. Chapter 8

"You'll live," Wendy told Beth after giving her a brief examination. "I'm not going to hold you," she said, much to Beth's relief. She'd already told Lucas that if her injury meant she'd have to miss shore leave, someone was going to lose their balls. Lucas hadn't doubted her for a second.

"Are your plans all set?" Wendy asked her, while checking her vision.

"I think so," she shrugged. "I'm meeting Lucas and Dagwood late morning, then meeting everyone back at the beach for lunch, so if you and Lonnie don't mind, I could join you to shop for a bit?"

"Of course," Wendy smiled.

"Nice of you to make time for us in your hectic schedule," Miguel joked as he entered the room.

Beth smiled at him. "Hi," she said.

"How you doing?" he asked affectionately.

"Fine," she growled, embarrassed. She couldn't believe she'd been knocked unconscious. Sitting beneath a large wooden work unit covered in unsecured equipment during an emergency certainly hadn't been her best judgement call. Wendy laughed. "I think her pride came off worse than her head," she joked, receiving a glare from the woman next to her.

"At least I didn't come off worst," Beth stated, and they all looked over at the junior scientist sitting next to them, having her fingers set. She'd suffered two fractured finger bones.

"It's a sad day on a submarine when the science officers obtain more injuries in battle than the military," Ortiz joked, raising a laugh.

"Ok, you're free to go. Just make sure someone keeps an eye on her for the next few hours or so," Wendy told Miguel.

"Sure," he responded, helping Beth to stand and take a few tentative steps. She grimaced and clutched her head.

"Alright?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Beth waved her off.

Miguel looked back over his shoulder and gave Wendy a wink, as he and Beth left. Wendy laughed to herself, both at Beth's embarrassment and Miguel's eagerness to come and check on her. It was hard not to be amused when two people who so obviously cared deeply for one another, failed to see it themselves.

***

As they walked along the passage, Beth couldn't help but notice Miguel was quieter than usual.

"What happened?" she asked.

He sighed heavily and thrust his hands, dejected, into his pockets. "We lost all the WSKRS," he said.

Beth's mouth dropped open and she felt an over-whelming pang of sympathy for him. She reached out and rubbed his back comfortingly. "I'm sorry," she said.

Miguel shrugged. "It's happened before, we'll get new ones," he said, trying to sound upbeat, but fooling no one. "It still sucks though," he admitted, continuing to skulk down the passage with his hands in his pockets.

They continued onwards to the bridge, where Miguel continued his watch and Beth could work and be watched for any sign of concussion.

***

After hasty repairs to both the ship and the crew, the energy level onboard had dropped. No one wanted to think about the fact they'd just let a nuclear missile slip through their fingers, instead preferring to contemplate beginning shore leave.

As they steamed towards homeport they tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but Nathan could sense that the minds of his senior officers weren't on the job. He looked at his watch – half an hour until the end of watch.

"Your attention please," he announced. Everyone fell silent. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of this crew for their hard work and commitment over the last ten months. It hasn't been easy, as this last encounter illustrated. Before you all leave to begin your well earned break, I'd like remind you that for the next two days you are still representatives of the U.E.O and I expect your behaviour to reflect that." He looked around at them all sternly. "With that in mind, we still have a destination to get to, repairs to continue, and a watch to complete – don't let me down. Keep focused and do your jobs. Carry on."

He watched with an ever-growing pride as the crew returned to their duties with a perceptible buzz of anticipation.

'_One of these days I'm going to run out of material for these speeches_,' Nathan mused to himself.

***

Once the watch was over, Beth had retreated to her room to pack her meagre and borrowed belongings into a bag. It was a pitiful sight – she longed to raid the shops and finally buy some things to call her own.

They weren't due to dock at New Cape Quest until early the following morning, so she spent the evening in her room enjoying a few peaceful hours with a book in bed. There was some kind of movie night going on in the lounge, but she'd declined the invite, seeking solitude instead.

Under the guise of being a good Samaritan and checking on her for any ill effects of her head injury, Jim had stopped by later through the evening. However it soon became apparent that he had other motives in mind.

"What you reading?" he asked as he walked into the room. Beth held up her book. It was 'Sense and Sensibility' by Jane Austen. Jim laughed to himself, "You always were one for the classics." He sat down silently on a chair by her bed.

Beth looked at him over the rim of her book. She rolled her eyes and placed it on her knee. "What is it?" she asked.

"Does, uh, I mean is um," Jim cleared his throat. "Is Lonnie going to this ball with anyone?"

Beth raised an eyebrow, "Not sure," she teased.

"Come on - is she?"

"No, not that I know of," she relented. "I didn't even think she was going. Why? Are you going to ask her?"

He flushed bright pink. Even in the darkness she could see the colour spreading across his cheeks – just reaching the tips of his ears. "I was just curious, that's all," he shrugged, pulling awkwardly at the collar of his shirt.

"Right," she nodded, unconvinced.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm going to the ball," Beth replied simply.

Jim rolled his eyes and laughed, "I know that smart ass. Are you going _with_ anyone?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm waiting to see on that one."

He smiled, knowing when to stop probing and turned the conversation to more serious matters that had been nagging him. "Are you sure it's such a good idea, going to this thing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her attention back on her book.

"You know what I mean. You work on the seaQuest now; you're name is in the system. It's almost certain they know where you are by now. You'll be a sitting duck."

"Jim…" she began, closing the book to look at him.

"No, listen. It's not safe."

"Jim, I can't stay in a metal tub under the ocean for the rest of my life."

"I know that."

"Do you?" she snapped. "I want to feel the sun on my face; _real_ sun! I want to go shopping and buy loads of ridiculous things I don't need. I want to see all the things I read about in books." She paused, "I want _one night_; one night of normalcy. I want to dance in someone's arms, in a pretty dress."

'_Girls_,' he thought, shaking his head. "No changing your mind?"

Beth shook her head. "It'll be fine," she reassured. "Besides, I don't think I can take anymore drama," she joked. He laughed and went to leave. "Jim…wait a second," she hesitated. "We never did talk about what happened on that island."

"I didn't think we needed to."

"I do," she said nervously.

Jim closed the door and returned to sit by her. "What about it?"

She swallowed and licked her lips. "I don't know whether it's how they made me, or whether it's just how I am, but…" she steeled herself, "…I _like_ fighting. I _like _losing control and releasing all that energy. When I floored those men, something inside me relished every single second and that scares the hell out of me," she looked expectantly at him.

"Beth…you can try to deny it all you want, but you were made a soldier. And secretly every soldier enjoys the thrill of combat. It's the rush, the adrenaline - it gives you an edge. It doesn't make you a bad person…as long as it's directed at the enemy," he joked.

She shook her head, "It's just confusing, you know? I have such a drive for science and I get to explore that here, but it's also here that I'm going to be exposed to situations where I could be tempted to use my abilities. I feel like a liability and that makes me wonder whether I should be here anymore."

"Where else would you go? Let's face facts, you don't exactly have a lot of options."

"I don't know, I haven't thought it through."

"Then don't be such an idiot. What about Miguel?"

"What about him?"

"_What about him?_ I thought you two were getting on better."

"We are."

"Then how do you think he would feel if you just up and left? It cut him up enough last time. How do you think I'd feel? What about the Captain? He's stuck his neck on the line for you, giving you one of the most prestigious science positions in the fleet!"

"Jim…"

"NO! You're thinking selfishly and that's one thing a soldier shouldn't do."

"I never said I wanted to be a soldier," she said defiantly, "I'm a person too."

"Then start thinking about those around you!" he snapped.

"OK!!! I'm sorry!" she wheezed.

"I'm not trying to bring you down. I'm just trying to make you realise that right now your best chance for life is right here, on seaQuest. You're safe, you have a job you're good at, and you have friends here."

"I know," she said remorsefully. Jim reached across and took her hand, pulling her up into an embrace.

"Stop worrying and get some sleep," he gave her a clunk on the head.

"Ah! Jim!!" Beth protested, half laughing, half protectively cradling her battered head.

"Oh, sorry!" he said, "How is the head anyway?" he asked.

"My head's never been normal, night," she grumbled, and closed the hatch behind him.

His words remained long after he'd left – echoing around her head as she lay waiting to fall into the precipice of sleep.

For the first time in years, her mind turned to thoughts of the future. Ever since she'd been taken, she'd been living from hour to hour, never sure of what each day would bring. But now, maybe Jim was right, maybe for once she had a place in the world and she could start planning a life for herself. With an uncharacteristic smile, she curled into her blankets and fell into a dreamless sleep.

***

"Outstanding," Jim commented enthusiastically, the following morning, as he surveyed the accommodation he, Jonathan and Miguel would be enjoying for the next two nights.

"Being Commander has its advantages," Jonathan agreed, setting his bags down on one of the three couches and going to explore.

The advantages were many. Leading off from a large lounge and kitchen area were three ensuite double bedrooms and another shower room with a generously sized hot-tub. Opening out from the kitchen was a balcony, positioned well enough that it would bask in sunlight as the day wore on. It was here that Miguel first directed his attention, surveying the view of the sprawling metropolis that New Cape Quest had become. Over the tower blocks of residential housing, the familiar blue sparkle of ocean could still be seen, glinting in welcome as the bright sun of early summer climbed higher on it's daily journey. By midday it would have warmed up the beach nicely for them; an appealing prospect.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me! Look at the size of this place!" Tim exclaimed behind him as he entered the room. Never one for rowdy revelry, he'd decided on a double room to himself further along the hall. With the exception of the Captain, they'd all ended up spread out over the same floor. The men had been allocated rooms at one end of the hall, while the women were allocated rooms at the other. Undoubtedly intended to keep them apart to some degree, it would inevitably be about as effective as using a net to hold back water.

"Quite a view," Tim remarked, stepping through the glass doors and taking up position at Miguel's side. They both clutched the railing; enjoying for a moment the feeling of fresh air, open space and terra firma beneath their feet.

"Guess we'll all end up back here after the party," Tim commented.

"Yeah, probably," Miguel laughed.

They turned to go back inside where Jonathan was now flicking through the sports channels on the television, eager to catch up on the latest results. Jim soon walked through to join them.

"Aw man, give me a beer and I'd happily sit in there all day," he laughed, indicating the hot tub.

"When are we leaving?" Miguel asked, picking up his bags and placing them through the door of his room. He and some of the other guys had planned to do some shopping of their own before playing a few games of pool, then heading to the beach to meet up with everyone else.

"I don't know – who's coming?" Jim asked.

"Us and Tony, I think," Tim answered. As a reward for good behaviour while on release aboard the seaQuest, the seaman had been given an invite to the ball that night.

Jim groaned. "Someone go and see how long he'll be," he said ambiguously.

There were no eager volunteers.

"I'll go," Miguel eventually agreed. Leaving the rest of them to finalise the plans, he walked down the hall to Tony's room and knocked, loudly, but received no answer, even after a second knock.

A familiar peal of laughter attracted his attention from further down the hall, so he left Tony's door and went to the room it was coming from. The door was slightly ajar. He knocked lightly and tentatively swung it open. Both Wendy and Beth turned to see who the intruder was.

"Hey," Beth smiled.

"Hey," he smiled back, looking around at the room, trying to discern whose it was. From the looks of things, it was Wendy's. Beth was sitting on the bed with her day bag swung over her body, watching as the other woman rooted around in her bag for something.

"Either of you seen Piccolo?" he asked.

"I think he's further down the hall with Lucas," Beth answered. Although Lucas hadn't been given an invite to the ball, for obvious reasons concerning alcohol consumption, he'd been offered a night's stay in the hotel as compensation, which he'd accepted eagerly.

"Thanks," he remarked. "You seen our room? It's something else," he laughed.

"A real sleaze pad, I bet," Beth quipped, standing up.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, did I say sleaze? I meant bachelor, obviously," she winked. "You gonna be long?" she asked Wendy.

"No, I'll meet you downstairs in ten," Wendy answered, still rooting around for whatever object was avoiding her.

"Ok," Beth nodded, and walked out along the corridor with Miguel.

He walked alongside her, hands shoved casually in the pockets of his shorts, not expecting her to suddenly link her arm through his. His instant reaction was to freeze in sheer panic, but tried not to flinch for fear of putting her off. His second instinctual response was to remove his hand from his pocket and take her hand in his.

There were no fireworks, just a natural feeling of acceptance as they linked fingers and continued along the hall.

He cringed to enter the room, knowing the men's eyes would all drift slowly south to where their hands sat entwined. But if they noticed, they gave no sign, at least not for the mean time.

"You have a hot tub?" Beth raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you guys planning on getting up to in here?"

"A little overdue R&R," Jim replied.

Her eyebrows remained raised. "Yeah, it's what kind of R&R that worries me," she teased.

"So this is where the party's at," Tony joked as he entered the room behind them. "Leaving without me?"

"You weren't in your room," Miguel defended himself.

"No, I was down the hall with Lucas. So, what's the plan?"

Miguel looked down as Beth slipped her hand from his and readjusted her bag. "I'd better go and meet Wendy," she said, excusing herself. "See you guys later?"

"Yeah," Jim waved.

"Bye," she said quietly to Miguel as she slipped out the door.

He turned to find the rest of the men smiling at him.

"What?" he barked, defensively.

"What's with the hands?" Tony teased.

"What about it?" Miguel asked back, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"Friends don't hold hands," Tim commented. They'd all known it was going to happen eventually, but that didn't mean they were going to hold off on the teasing.

Miguel couldn't think of a suitable retort, instead scowling at them and swiftly changing the conversation.

***

Shopping can mean a whole lot more than simply buying things. For someone who has nothing to their name, it can mean rebuilding and reshaping their entire persona – a chance for a fresh beginning.

Materialistic as it may have been, Beth had no quibbles about treating herself to a whole new wardrobe. Sick of wearing other people's loose fitting cast offs, she wanted something that represented _her_ and her new position and direction in life.

As well as creating a good dent in her wages, it was a good opportunity to spend time with the other women off the boat. With the ball being the underlying reason for the two days of leave, it was unavoidable that they'd find themselves in a dress shop at some point.

Beth eyed Lonnie with suspicion. Being only one of many junior officers onboard, the young Ensign hadn't received an invite, and yet was browsing through the stalls of dresses as though she had every intention of buying one.

"That one's nice – the colour suits you," she remarked, as Lonnie ran her hands over a knee-length, deep red, velvet gown. The other woman blushed, her cheeks almost matching the dress she still held clasped in her fingers. "I thought you weren't going tonight."

"I, um," she stuttered, clearing her throat. "I sort of got an invite," she admitted.

"That was short notice," Wendy commented, browsing the stalls beside them.

"It's not a formal invite. I'm a plus one," she confessed, appearing slightly embarrassed at the turn of events.

"A plus one?" Beth repeated. "Who are you going with?"

"It's private," she muttered, receiving raised eyebrows in the response from the other women. They stood in silence for a moment.

"Well, I'm not going with anyone, but I'm still buying a dress," Wendy quipped. "Are you trying that on?" she asked Lonnie.

"Yeah," she replied, positively.

"You trying anything?" Wendy asked Beth.

"I think I'll try…" she trailed off, walking away to pick up one she'd eyed earlier. "…this one," she finished, bringing over a black, fitted, strapped dress with purple flowers embroidered around the side.

"Very nice," Lonnie commented. "Looking to impress anyone special?"

Now it was Beth's turn to blush. "I don't know yet," she teased, and followed them into the fitting rooms.

"Are you ready?" Wendy called to them, a few minutes later.

"Yeah," they replied shyly, poking their heads out from behind the curtains.

Lonnie appeared from her cubicle and hovered nervously in front of the mirror. Beside her, Wendy stepped out, confidently, modelling a black gown with white trimming.

"What do we look like?" Lonnie groaned.

"Women!" Wendy exclaimed, grasping both of them by the shoulders and pulling them close to admire their reflections. "And damn sexy ones at that," she grinned, causing Lonnie and Beth to break into laughter.

Lonnie stopped suddenly and pointed at Beth's feet. "Are you planning on wearing those?"

Beth looked down at the shabby sandals she'd been given by Helmswoman Tyler.

"They don't really match do they?" she laughed.

Dressed in their normal clothes, they walked back onto the sales floor on the hunt for shoes to match their chosen dresses.

"Hey, look who I spy," Tony commented as he walked by the clothes store with the other guys.

They paused for a moment, watching the women pay for their items.

"Must be buying the glad rags," Tony joked.

"And spending a fortune doing it, no doubt," Jonathan added. "Come on, let's get going."

Their tolerance for shopping already saturated, they continued on towards the pool hall.

"I didn't think Henderson was coming tonight," Tim observed.

"Yeah, Commander, what's up with that?" Jim teased, ignoring the look of derision Jonathan shot him.

The other men looked between themselves suspiciously, wondering whether there was anything to suspect or whether it was just part of the usual banter between the two men.

"She could just have been buying a dress," Miguel suggested, deciding to help Jonathan out.

"Yeah, we all know how women get dress envy," Tony joked. "and shoe envy, and hair envy, and…"

"Shut-up, Tony," they all groaned.

Once done in the shop, the women paused outside to decide their next move.

Looking at her watch, Beth grimaced. "I have to go dump my bags back at the hotel before I meet Lucas and Dagwood."

"You haven't got time for a coffee?" Lonnie asked.

As appealing as the invite was, she'd end up late if she delayed any longer. "No, sorry. I want to change too," she admitted, excited at the thought of wearing some of her new things. "You'll be at the beach later though, right?"

"Yeah," Lonnie nodded.

"Cool, I'll see you guys later then," she said, and turned to drag herself, laden with bags to the nearest taxi rank. "Oh!" she suddenly thought. "Tonight – why don't you take your things over to the hotel and get ready with us there?" she asked. Even though Lonnie was still staying on the seaQuest, it didn't mean she had to miss out on the fun.

"Sure," she agreed.

Satisfied, Beth finally left them, waddling away to the exit.

***

Neither Beth, Lucas nor Dagwood had experienced being on a roller coaster before, so it was with great anticipation that they sat in their carriage and began the slow climb to the first dip.

Hanging on the top of the hill, their pulses raced for the second it took the carriage to pick up momentum and race down the slope that descended in front of them. Despite all attempts to maintain composure, the three of them couldn't help releasing an embarrassing sequence of yelps and shouts as they were hurtled round the track.

Before the ride, smelling the stalls of food, Dagwood had complained of hunger and insisted on getting himself a bag of popcorn. However by the second corner, he'd realised this hadn't been such a good idea as the pieces flew like confetti all over him and those behind him, including Lucas and Beth.

The roller coaster and strong man contest had been by far Dagwood's favourites. After much coaxing, they'd managed to convince him to attempt the ghost train, but his sensitive disposition hadn't taken to that one very well and he'd been quite relieved and happy to leave it behind when the ride ended.

It was just after 1300 when, full of sugary treats, they strolled along the beachfront to where the others were already gathered. Nathan, Wendy and Lonnie were sitting on chairs by the barbeque while the men enjoyed a game of volleyball.

Dagwood raced ahead, eager to tell Nathan about their morning, followed closely by Lucas, who, just for a moment, felt more like his own age than an adult.

Nathan laughed at the popcorn still stuck to Dagwood's shoulder. "Having fun?" he asked them.

"Hell yes!" Lucas bellowed with a wide grin.

"Somebody's had too much sugar," Wendy joked, referring to Dagwood.

Beth wandered over to Lonnie and took a seat next to her. They looked across the sand, watching the men engaged in the most primitive battle known to man – pride. "Not joining in?" she asked.

"Not a chance," she muttered, dozing under the sun.

Beth shrugged. Taking her sandals off, she took a few steps out onto the beach, relishing in the feel of warm sand squeezing between her toes, and walked towards the volleyball pitch. Once close enough, she broke into a run and leaped onto Miguel's back in time to deflect the ball over the net.

"Unfair advantage!" Tony called from the other side of the net.

"Where'd you come from?" Miguel asked, puffing with the exertion of the game.

"Well," she said, wrapping her arms around him, enjoying the feel of his warm skin beneath hers. "A long time ago in a petri dish…" she began.

"Funny," he retorted, deadpan, still not quite able to appreciate humour about her past.

She caught the hint and dropped the line of conversation. "You are disgusting!" she exclaimed instead, realising he was covered in sweat and had soaked her top and jeans. "That's gross, look at it!" she said, pointing at the wet marks. The men simply laughed.

Miguel watched as she walked back to her bag and peeled off the damp clothes down to her bikini. She pulled a sarong out of her bag and tied it round her waist.

Jim lobbed the ball off Miguel's head.

"OW!!" he exclaimed.

"Concentrate Ortiz, concentrate!" Ford called. Miguel grimaced and shook his head.

Jim and Miguel had been playing against Tony, Jonathan and Tim, but they now had two additions. Beth joined Miguel and Jim, while Lucas joined the others.

They were fairly evenly matched and had to work hard to beat each other.

Jonathan lobbed the ball over the net and Jim, Miguel and Beth all ran for it. They collided in mid air and landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Get off me!" Beth wheezed under Jim's weight.

They stood up and Miguel served the ball back over the net. Tony hit it back for Jim to return. Lucas hit it back and Beth went to return it, but realised she wasn't tall enough to get it. Miguel grabbed her by the waist and propelled her into the air. She shrieked and slammed the ball back over the net. It landed on the ground on the other side, much to their delight. Jonathan scowled as he served the ball back to them. Miguel returned it and Tim smacked it back. Beth got ready to hit the ball, but she was too slow. Jim charged in front of her and smacked it over the net, gaining another point for the team.

Shortly afterwards as they had drawn equal yet again, Nathan shouted over that there was food ready for anyone who wanted it. With the choice between carrying on the game and filling their bellies, there really was no competition. Calling it a fair draw, they made their way up the beach breathlessly, and ate enjoying the sun, good food and good company.

Afterwards they all lounged on the sand, letting their food settle.

Dagwood had befriended a dog and was happily throwing a Frisbee to it. Lucas was going around with a camera, taking snaps, much to everyone's annoyance.

"Come on, huddle up," he ordered, standing over Miguel and Beth. She groaned in protest and held up a magazine to cover her face, but Miguel pulled her onto his knee, tossing the magazine to one side and they smiled broadly.

Insisting that he wanted pictures to remember the day with, he got them all to pose for some group pictures before allowing them to settle back onto the sand.

It didn't take long for most of them to drift into a peaceful sleep with the sounds of conversation and the ocean waves surrounding them.

Blinking his eyes open in the sun, Miguel rolled over and leaned on his elbow, looking at Beth. He couldn't tell whether she was awake or not. He whistled, but she didn't stir. He leaned in closer and whistled again. Beth shot out her arm and knocked him onto his back, laughing. So she was awake then.

"What is it?" she grumbled.

"Nothing," he laughed. He lay back down and closed his eyes. Beside him, Beth stifled a laugh. She settled herself and drifted off again with pleasant daydreams filling her mind.

She was woken again when Dagwood sat himself down on the ground at her feet.

"Do we have any ice cream?" he asked.

Beth sat up and squinted in the bright light. "Would you like some ice cream, Dagwood?" she smiled at him. He nodded enthusiastically, so she stood up and slipped her sandals on. "Does anyone else want one?" she asked.

There were too many yeses for her to manage on her own.

"I'm going to need an extra pair of hands," she smiled. Lucas volunteered and walked with them up to the ice cream stall on the beachfront.

While they waited in the queue Lucas took the opportunity to speak to her about Miguel.

"You two look good together," he remarked.

She responded with a glance that didn't look too amused.

"What? I'm just saying I'm glad you two finally got it together!" he said.

"We didn't, that would be against regulation," Beth retorted.

"No it wouldn't, you're not military. There's nothing in the rulebook that says an NCO can't date a member of the science staff. He's a good guy," he encouraged.

"What flavour should I get?" Dagwood added, oblivious to the conversation, as he gazed at the menu in front of him. Lucas and Beth both laughed.

They returned to the others a few minutes later with ice cream cones in each hand and shared them out.

"What about ours?" Jim asked, referring to himself and Miguel.

"What? These?" Beth grinned. She walked towards the two of them and dunked their noses in the ice cream. They were horrified – glaring at her as they wiped their noses. She backed away in panic, handing the three remaining cones to Lucas, who laughed guessing what was about to happen.

"Abuse of two senior staff, I'd say that deserves disciplinary action, wouldn't you, Mr Ortiz?" Jim smiled, as he and Miguel walked towards her.

"Definitely," Miguel grinned.

"Please, don't!" she pleaded as she continued to back away with her hands up before her. The two men suddenly exploded into a run, leaving her no choice but to run full pelt away from them.

The others watched, laughing, as she turned on them suddenly, making mock kung-fu actions, allowing Miguel to circle round behind her. He dived at her and swung her over his shoulder, making for the water line.

"No!" she shrieked as he heaved her off him and into the water with a splash. She sat at his feet, soaked, mouth open in disbelief. "You rat!" she spluttered, wiping her face. Jim and Miguel laughed heartily.

Feeling slightly sorry for the bedraggled figure in front of him, Miguel reached down a hand to help her up. She grumbled a few words of dissatisfaction before taking hold of it and yanking with all her might, catching him off guard and sending him to his knees. Before he could regain his balance, she leaped on top of him, landing him flat in the water.

She smiled at him, triumphantly. "What?" she asked innocently.

His glower broke into a smile and he shook his head, laughing, before grabbing her by the waist and hurling her over into the water beneath him.

Leaving them shrieking in the background, Jim ran back up the beach towards the others with another target in sight.

"You stay away!" Lonnie shrieked and ran off. He chased after her, grabbed her round the waist and carried her down to the water, raising her up high before dropping her in with an almighty splash, and jumping in after her.

Deciding to join in the hilarity, Lucas, Jonathan, Tony and Tim all pulled off their shirts and ran down the beach to the water.

They all threw water in each other's faces, yelping and laughing as the waves broke over and around them.

Miguel walked up behind Beth and wrapped his arms around her waist. She gripped his arms, happily pulling him closer to her.

Nathan and Wendy walked down to the waterline with Lucas' camera. He called for everyone to pose and they promptly arranged themselves, soaking wet but full of joy and smiled, as he clicked the camera.


	9. Chapter 9

Come late afternoon, they all made their way back to the hotel to get ready. As arranged, Lonnie followed Beth back to her room where they were soon ankle deep in preparations. Within in ten minutes the bed was littered with hairpins, perfume, tights and make-up.

"So," Beth began, tentatively, hoping she could glean some more information from Lonnie about her date for the evening. "Am I just gonna have to wait and see who the mystery man is?"

"You and everybody else," she groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything. Now I'm gonna feel like a fruitcake walking in there."

"Don't be stupid," Beth chided. "I'm just happy you're gonna be there," she smiled.

Lonnie gave her a thin smile back before heading to the bathroom to shower. Clearly she was nervous about something.

'_Ah well_,' Beth thought. '_We'll find out soon enough_.'

***

An hour or so later, after much sprucing and spraying, they'd done themselves up to their satisfaction and were putting the finishing touches to the masterpiece. They both stood in front of the mirror examining themselves.

Lonnie had arranged Beth's brown waves into a neat little hair-do that lay low on her head. She moved her head back and forth, trying to get used to it.

"Stop shaking like that. I haven't done many – it might fall out," Lonnie warned her.

"It hasn't got a chance if I start dancing then," Beth joked. Beside her, Lonnie smoothed down the red velvet of her dress and blew out a long breath. Her hand hovered over her belly in attempt to still the nervous activity within.

"You look stunning," Beth told her.

She grinned gratefully as she received the compliment.

Beth had to admit she was just as nervous. For one thing she hadn't dressed up for many people before, and for another she wasn't sure whether the thing most people were expecting to happen that evening, was indeed going to happen.

"You look great," Lonnie reassured her. "And let's face it, the one person you're looking to impress already knows that. Is this your first date?" she asked.

Beth just scowled at her. "I don't know," she said.

"You know, I think that's the closest I've ever got you to admitting your feelings," Lonnie smiled, teasing.

"What about Jim? Is it him you're going with?" Beth asked. Lonnie blushed and looked away; she'd clearly hit a nerve. If she and Jim were going together why didn't she just say so? "I don't mind you know" she tried to reassure her. "That thing between him and I was a long time ago."

"Yeah," Lonnie smiled, briefly, before insisting that she'd better go and see whether everyone else was ready. She thanked Beth for letting her use the room and disappeared.

Wide-eyed and confused, Beth tried to figure out what could have unsettled her so much and hoped it hadn't been anything she'd said. However her mind was whirring to fast to contemplate it for too long and she turned her head back to the mirror.

She ran her hands down the dress, feeling strange. This was a part of society she'd never really experienced before. She didn't know what to expect or how to act, especially in front of the UEO figureheads she was bound to be introduced to. If she wanted, she could have an insiders view, letting her see how people perceived her and how she should act. But there were laws against invading people's thoughts, and she neither wanted to get caught, nor let down the people who'd laid so much on the line for her.

She turned side on, then to the other side and back to face front. Her heart hammered. There was also Miguel. She'd been in denial about him for so long. When he'd phased her out of his life, she'd tried to do the same to save herself from hurt. But since that night when he'd apologised to her, her feelings had exploded into life again. Those feelings had gone beyond basic friendship before she'd even left the seaQuest the first time. It scared her though. He'd already turned away from her once; what was to say he wouldn't do it again?

But then today, when he'd pulled her onto his knee for the photo, he'd wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder and they'd just sat. And then later when she'd been collecting shells on the beach, he'd walked alongside her and naturally taken her hand. It was those small moments that made her heart leap, her breath catch and brought her to some basic understanding that maybe this was the feeling that all those songs and poems were written about. She looked at the collection of shells on her bedside table and smiled. They were at that precipice and they had to decide whether to leap or not.

There came a tentative knock at the door, startling her from her reverie.

"It's open!" she called.

The door slowly opened and Miguel poked his head through.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied with a smile, as her stomach fluttered. Men in uniform were one thing, but Miguel Ortiz in his full dinner dress was enough to make even the most satisfied woman weak at the knees.

"Very dashing," she told him, clearing her throat. "Will I do?" she asked nervously, giving a clumsy curtsy.

"You look amazing," he grinned, as he walked over and stood behind her so they could both look in the mirror. He studied her carefully, thinking. "There's something missing though," he said. Beth frowned, confused, and a little concerned. He pulled a small box out from behind his back, and opened it to reveal an intricate silver butterfly suspended between two silver chains.

She gazed at it with a combination of awe and terror. "What's that for?" she swallowed.

He set the box down on the dresser. "You," he said with a chuckle.

"Why?" she asked, still awestruck at the gesture.

He removed the necklace from the box and returned to stand behind her. With care, he placed the necklace round her neck and fixed the clasp in place. "Because butterflies are beautiful and delicate, but are strong enough to fly thousands of miles round the world…" he breathed, wrapping his arms round her waist, "…just like you," he said nervously.

Her skin trembled under his touch – a tremble that seemed to travel rapidly through her body until she was forced to pull him closer to stave it off.

Grasping tightly, they stood gazing at each other, eyes locked, across the mirror.

"Pretty good pair don't you think?" he asked.

She smiled, '_Just leap,_' she thought. "Definitely."

He leaned in and kissed her gently and affectionately on the neck. She closed her eyes in delight. '_You remembered._'

He pulled away to pick up her wrap and bag and handed them to her, then turned to face the door and held out his arm. "Would you do me the honour?" he asked with a grin that would have broken the steeliest disposition.

"I certainly would," she replied, smiling broadly. She linked her arm with his and they walked out the door and down the hall to the stairs. As they negotiated them, she became ever more grateful that she had Miguel's arm for balance. Walking in heels was more difficult than she remembered.

There seemed to be a constant stream of people walking both ahead and behind them, all heading for the function room of the hotel. Most they didn't recognise, but they both started as they spotted a couple they certainly did recognise.

"No way," Beth exclaimed under her breath.

"Uh, yes way," Miguel whispered back, craning his neck as the couple disappeared round the next flight of stairs.

"No wonder she was nervous. Is that even allowed?" she asked.

"Not technically," Miguel muttered.

They both raised their eyebrows, worried for their crewmates, as they watched Jonathan and Lonnie's backs disappear into the throng that crowded the entrance hall.

Seeing what a big event the evening would be, Beth gripped Miguel's arm tighter, partly with nerves and partly with excitement.

"IDs and invites, please," a guard asked them at the door. With so many dignitaries in attendance, it was no wonder they were being careful with security. The guard looked over their ID imprints carefully, before giving a courteous smile and nodding them through.

They took a collective deep breath as they walked through the curtained door, and their eyes widened. The room was enormous; people swarmed everywhere, chatting merrily to the accompaniment of a dance band playing classic jazz and show tunes.

"This is a little more upmarket than I'm used to," Miguel joked.

To their left was a board detailing the seating arrangements. They eagerly looked for their names and found themselves allocated to table 14 with the other members of the crew.

Looking around, they spotted Jim by the bar with Tim, Lonnie and Jonathan. They were about to walk over when a voice boomed from behind them.

"Nice bit of arm candy you've got there, Ortiz."

Miguel and Beth turned sharply. "Krieg!" Miguel laughed.

"Ben!" Beth exclaimed and greeted him with a hug. "What are you doing here, I heard you retired," she said.

"I did, but the Mrs got an invite, so I'm her plus one," he smiled as Katie Hitchcock appeared behind him.

Katie had to do a double take at the almost familiar figures standing in front of her. Miguel she would recognise anywhere, but that hair confused her for a second. The woman, on the other hand, looked so different that it almost didn't register who she was. She looked so much happier and healthier than the last time she'd seen her that she could have been an entirely different person. But when the truth dawned, she cracked a wide smile, and chanced a tentative hug round her shoulders. "Hello, stranger," she greeted.

"Katie!" Beth gasped in surprise, immediately returning the gesture, and pulling back to look at her more closely. She and Miguel couldn't help but stare open mouthed, seeing Katie had opted to wear a dress rather than her uniform. And she'd grown her hair too. She looked fantastic, and Ben was clearly proud to have her on his arm.

"You two?" Miguel asked, dumbstruck.

"We're not married," Katie insisted, "Ben was just setting his aspirations too high…again," she quipped.

Miguel and Beth raised an eyebrow at each other – things hadn't changed then.

"But, you are…?" Miguel asked.

"…together, yes," Katie finished.

"I'm glad," Beth added.

Ben and Miguel withdrew slightly to catch up, leaving the women to talk. It had been over three years since they'd seen each other and, despite their relative closeness on the boat, Beth hadn't been in contact with Katie once, something that annoyed her greatly. She'd expected to receive at least one e-mail from the woman, and even went so far as to leave messages in an effort to find out what had happened to her. But she never heard anything. It was as if she'd just dropped off the radar.

Beth knew Katie would be annoyed at her, but the lack of contact hadn't exactly been her fault. Being held captive for a year and a half was enough to destroy anyone's social life. "How's the command treating you?" she asked, desperate to avoid the subject.

"The Clinton? It's going well, I run a smooth ship," Katie declared proudly. "My run has had the most successful rate of cargo transfer of all its' previous Captains…"

"…which isn't really surprising considering you have no dolphins, apes, child geniuses or cock-sure supply officers running under your feet," Beth teased, "It must be a walk in the park."

Katie raised her eyebrows. "No cock-sure supply officers? You think? My new chop went to the Academy with Ben," she groaned. "I swear the two of them could publish a novel on practical jokes, schemes and pranks."

"Just as bad, huh?"

"Just as bad? He's worse, if that's even possible."

Beth laughed heartily, sensing a story was around the corner.

"We have two crewmen from Ireland, and Dennison thought it would be fun to do something special for St Patrick's Day, right?"

Beth nodded, presuming, Dennison, was the 'chop' in question.

"So he ordered _hundreds_ of little green cut out clovers, and loaded them into the air filtration units in their quarters. _But_, he forgets to isolate the units, sending these little green clovers flying through the ship, getting torn up in the motors of the fans and making a mess in none other than the quarters of yours truly, _while_ I'm on a conference call to UEO high command."

Clutching her stomach in delighted agony, Beth asked what she did about it.

"Besides docking his pay for a month, I made him stitch a hundred of those things to his uniform and wear it for a week," she stated, proudly.

"You have not changed one bit," Beth laughed, "God help your crew!"

Katie managed a dry smile and raised her glass, "Amen to that," she said and they both clunked glasses before taking a drink.

"I have some news for you, actually," Beth said.

"Oh?" Katie raised her eyebrows, slightly worried. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" Beth laughed. "But someone else we knew was. Daisy. The management group found her calf, a three year old girl."

Katie's eyes widened in delight; Daisy had been one of the whales they'd tracked while Beth was onboard. Katie had done some individual observation work on her with the HR Probe, and had been the one to name her. Sadly, they'd lost her to whalers a few weeks later. The experience had saddened everyone involved. "Oh Beth, that's fantastic."

"Yeah," she agreed. "What's that one up to these days?" she asked, indicating towards Ben.

"Drifting," Katie replied, looking affectionately over at him, she looked back to Beth with a hint of regret in her eyes, "he's not really found himself after the navy."

"So how long have you two been…you know?" Ben asked Miguel rather loudly, causing Beth and Katie to look over at them.

Beth cleared her throat. "I'm going to go and see Jim at the bar. I'll speak to you later," she promised Katie, and excused herself.

Miguel watched her go and turned to grimace at Ben. "This is kind of it Ben, _tonight_," he said.

"This is your first date?" Katie smiled.

"Ortiz, I always knew you were slow, but…" Ben began.

"She's only been back on the boat three months," Miguel defended.

"In that case, go! We'll see you after the meal," Ben said and gave him a pat on the back.

***

Jim greeted Beth with a huge smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"You look beautiful," he told her.

She smiled gratefully and hugged him, pulling him close enough to whisper in his ear. "You knew about _that_ didn't you?" she asked, ambiguously, though he was in no doubt over what she was referring to.

"So what if I did?" he defended. "It's nothing," he insisted.

"I hope you told her she looks gorgeous. She's terrified."

"Of course – what kind of a guy do you take me for?" he joked.

"A pretty lousy one if I remember correctly," she winked. A gentle pressure on the small of her back and a strong presence behind her, informed her that Miguel had made his way over.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's ok," she smiled, "I just wanted to get out of there with my dignity intact."

"Do you have a drink?" he asked. She shook her head. "What are you having?"

"Definitely wine," she decided.

Miguel laughed, "Alright." He got orders from the others and went to wait at the bar.

While she was waiting, she took the opportunity to corner Lonnie, who greeted her like a deer in headlights. "_Ford_?" she exclaimed quietly.

"Shhh," Lonnie chided her. "I _knew_ you'd react like this. Look, I wasn't invited and he didn't want me to be left out, and that's all there is to it, alright?" she explained, flustered.

"Ok," Beth nodded, accepting the explanation to appease her.

"Beth, you look lovely," Jonathan spoke behind her.

"You don't brush up too bad yourself, Commander," she told him.

"Thank you," he grinned proudly, as Miguel returned with a tray full of drinks. "To crewmates I'll never forget," Jonathan suggested.

"To crewmates!" they toasted and drank.

"You guys look spectacular, let me get a picture," Nathan appeared in front of them. He looked around for something that had apparently gone missing. "Kristin," he called. A glamorous woman appeared beside him with the camera. She smiled at them all, causing the majority of their mouths to drop open in astonishment.

"Kristin!!" Beth shrieked.

Kristin held out her arms, smiling, and Beth walked into her embrace. "It's good to see you," she said. "You look stunning," she said, stroking the younger woman's cheek. She looked to Miguel and blinked. "Mr Ortiz, what have you done to your hair?" she exclaimed, raising a laugh from them all they all, as Miguel, Tim and Jonathan all greeted her.

"Forgive me, Kristin, this is our new security chief, Lieutenant James Brody, and helmsman, Ensign Lonnie Henderson. This is Doctor Kristin Westphalen, Chief Medical Officer on our first tour," Nathan introduced and they shook hands eagerly.

"Come on everyone, I want a picture," he repeated.

They arranged themselves and smiled. As Nathan took the picture, the dinner gong sounded through the hall.

"We'd better get seated," Nathan said.

"Are you sitting with us?" Tim asked Kristin.

"No, but I'll join you after," she said. She made her farewells and walked to her own table. After everyone was seated, Secretary General McGath walked onto the stage and began his welcoming speech.

"I hope they're keeping the food hot," Jim joked, leaning towards Jonathan. Much to everyone's relief, McGath kept his address brief and then the starters were served.

***

The meal certainly lived up to expectations. They all chatted and tucked in merrily, making the most of the free wine too.

"Tony, I think you redefine the word 'contradiction'," Tim commented, watching Tony motor through his plate of food.

The Seaman looked up, gravy rolling down his chin and looked puzzled, causing laughter to erupt round the table. Decked out in all his finery, Tony looked every bit the gentleman, but his eating habits could only be likened to those of a rather well known ungulate. Everyone else, however, managed to enjoy their meal with a little more decorum.

Once the main part of the meal was over, a few other important guests made short speeches while the waiters served coffee and mints. They were then all asked to clear the room for 10 minutes while the tables were pushed out of the way and the dance floor prepared. A bar was available in an adjoining room for everyone to wait in, so Miguel and Jonathan went to get drinks for everyone. The others were standing talking in a group when Nathan walked over.

"Miss Allen?" he said. Beth turned hesitantly to find him standing with Secretary General Thomas McGath. She smiled politely.

"Mr Secretary I don't believe you've met our new assistant Chief Scientist, Beth Allen," he introduced.

"Miss Allen, a pleasure, I haven't heard a peep about you in years, what have you been up to?" he asked, eyeing her intensely.

She stepped back sub-consciously. "I decided to take a leaf out of Captain Bridger's book here and go native for a while, but the seaQuest lured me back in again," she lied. McGath, however, seemed to like her story, and laughed. To her relief, he and Nathan continued circulating the room.

"You survived then?" Miguel said when he returned.

"Just," she breathed a laugh and took her wine glass from him. They all toasted friendship, once more, and clunked glasses.

Tony had already picked out his target and was chatting her up at the bar. So far, Jonathan and Lonnie hadn't given any outward sign that there was anything between them but friendship, making Beth wonder whether she had in fact jumped to conclusions too early. She scanned the room, stopping as Kristin waved in her direction. Excusing herself from the group, she carefully made her way over, gradually getting used to the high-heels again. As she reached the table, Kristin stood up and embraced her once more.

"I have missed you so much," Beth admitted.

"So has someone else I see," Kristin nodded towards Miguel.

"It's a work in progress," she said shyly.

"You look beautiful together," Kristin smiled.

"We had no idea you were going to be here," Beth said.

"No, well, I wasn't sure either."

"You two have kept in touch?" she asked, referring to Nathan.

Kristin's face flushed deep crimson. "Let's just say that's a work in progress too."

They exchanged a communicative glance, appreciating the delicacy of early relationships.

"Why didn't you join the second tour?" Beth asked.

"Money, what else? There wasn't the funding for my research anymore," she sighed in disappointment. "So where have you been? I tried to contact you."

Beth looked awkward. "It's a long story," she said quietly.

Kristin nodded. Nathan had already alluded to something earlier on, but she knew better than to push her for information. "Perhaps you'll tell me sometime?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, Joshua tried to get hold of you too," Kristin said after taking another gulp of her wine.

"Levin? How is he?"

"Good," Kristin smiled, "he has his own research outfit in British Columbia, studying Orcas. He wanted to know whether you'd be available to join him."

"Well, tell him to contact me on the seaQuest, it'd be great to catch up."

"I'll do that."

The gong sounded once more and they were allowed back through to the main room. This time Ben, Katie and Kristin joined them at the table. It was a tight squeeze, but a welcome one, and once refilled with drinks, the conversation began to flow easily. After a few mid-tempo songs to warm up, the dance band broke into some upbeat songs but no one was brave enough to take to the floor. When they began a version of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', Tony stood up and looked at Beth.

"Come on partner, let's rock this joint," he announced, holding out his hand.

"Tony, no," she protested, but he was unrelenting and hauled her from her seat onto the dance floor.

Having hoped to spend the evening being more or less inconspicuous, being hurtled onto an empty dance floor had slightly spoilt her plan. However she didn't have much time to be nervous, as, without warning, Tony spun her in towards him and they started spinning around the floor dancing jive steps together.

Everyone laughed heartily at them and clapped along with the music.

Jim whistled, "Yeah!"

Tony and Beth were the only couple on the floor, so made the most of the space. Initially apprehensive, she found herself letting go to the swing of the music and remembering how much she'd enjoyed dancing as a child. Tony spun her in all directions, keeping her on her toes. They broke apart and did their own thing, coming back together so she could strut round him while he played a rousing piece of air guitar to the amusement of the audience. She grabbed his hand and they rejoined to dance round again.

The other tables soon began to get into the swing of things and started to clap too, which only spurred them on.

Face aching with smiling, she broke apart from Tony again and they danced ridiculously side by side, laughing. He spun her round into him again and they set off round the floor. Even McGath was smiling at them. Tony's plan to break the ice had worked at least.

Ben and Katie stood on the sidelines watching, bemused.

"No prizes for guessing who's the joker of the pack," Ben commented.

"Jealous, Benjamin?" Katie teased.

Ben looked at her with that famous twinkle in his eye, "Honey, he ain't got a patch on me," he said, and whipped her onto the dance floor.

Jonathan, Miguel and Tim watched with open mouths as Katie tried to maintain composure while being hurled around at breakneck speed in front of her superior officers.

"Benjamin Krieg," she said through gritted teeth, "Just what…" she was cut off as Ben twirled her away from him.

"What was that, honey? I didn't quite catch that," he said as they rejoined again.

"Did you get _this_?" she snapped as she promptly stamped her weight down on his foot. "Next time I'll be sure to aim for something vital," she said.

"Look at that glare!" Tim said, referring to Katie.

"Someone's not getting any tonight," Jonathan joked, then promptly revoked his comment when he noticed a smile crack through Katie's demure features.

At the words, '_There goes my baby, she knows how to rock and roll_', Jim turned to Miguel, "Yeah, there goes _your_ baby, rockin' and rollin' with another man. That should be you up there."

"It will be," Miguel said, casually.

Meanwhile, Tony and Beth were still in full jive mode. To liven things up, Tony shot away from Beth and dove between Ben and Katie, pulling her away to dance with him. Ben stood, staring dumbfounded at his empty hands.

'_What the hell just happened' _he thought, but didn't have time to contemplate it before Beth grabbed his empty hands and spun him round to start dancing. He tolerated it as long as he could before making his apologies.

"Sorry sweetheart, but I ain't about to let some young upstart steal my woman," he said and broke between Tony and Katie to claim her back. Tony shrugged and bounded back across the floor towards Beth, skidding on his knees to mime the words 'crazy little thing called love'. They worked themselves up to the finale of the song and posed as the music ended, receiving a loud applause.

Both out of breath, they were eager to leave the floor for a break, however, as the band started playing another song, 'Moondance', and Jim walked towards Beth with a grin on his face, clearly that wasn't going to happen.

"May I?" he asked

"If I must," she teased, linked hands with him and setting off round the dance floor. Miguel had taken Wendy up to dance, Jonathan was with Lonnie and Nathan danced with Kristin.

Wendy laughed as Miguel looked longingly over at Beth. "You'll get her eventually," she told him.

Ben spun Katie around the floor.

"It's strange being around everyone again, huh?" Katie remarked.

"But nice," Ben said.

"Almost makes me regret leaving."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said and rested her head on Ben's shoulder.

Kristin and Nathan were watching them all as they danced.

"You've got a good crew under your wing Nathan," Kristin said.

"Yes, they're a good bunch."

"Do you miss the old bunch?"

"Sometimes. Certain ones in particular."

Kristin smiled, "Oh yes?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

Kristin smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as they continued to dance. They danced past Ben and Katie. Ben winked at Kristin as they spun past.

"Is there _really_ nothing between those two?" Beth asked Jim about Lonnie and Jonathan.

"I'm not getting involved," he insisted.

"You already are involved. If it's none of my business just say so."

"It's none of your business."

She pursed her lips at him. "Not even a little snippet?"

"No!" he laughed at her.

"You don't know anything either do you?" she asked.

"Leave it alone," he stated.

"But why did you ask me if she was going with anyone?"

"Look," he sighed, exasperated. "I had a feeling they'd arranged to go together, but I knew if I asked either one of them they'd deny it flat out."

"So the covert operative sprang into action?"

"Exactly," he grinned.

"Figures," she commented, rolling her eyes. "You can be one sneaky son of a bitch when you get going – it's no wonder you ended up working for Sector 7."

"I will take _that_ as a compliment," he teased. "Hey, who is that guy?" he asked, changing the subject, as Ben and Katie danced past them.

"He was the ship's supply and morale officer," she explained.

"He's an officer?"

"Was, he retired. He was a Lieutenant."

"Oh," Jim looked surprised.

"Relax hotshot," she smiled. Jim scowled at her. "He's with Katie," she told him.

"Katie who?"

"Hitchcock. Captain Hitchcock, former Lieutenant Commander of the seaQuest, now in command of the HR Clinton?"

"Hitchcock?" Jim exclaimed in disbelief, "_She's_ with _him_?" He looked over at the couple. Hitchcock had a fierce reputation, something he admired in a naval woman. What he didn't admire was the fact she'd chosen a downright drop out as a partner. But he had to admit that among the crowd, they looked as happy as any other couple. What he didn't know, and couldn't appreciate, was the long journey they'd taken to get there.

The music ended and they collectively began to walk back to the table.

Just before he took his seat, the band started playing a Latin dance song; 'Sway', so Miguel seized his opportunity and took Beth by the hand. He led her onto the dance floor, spun her around and pulled her in close to him. He looked her right in the eyes and winked, bringing a surprised smile to her face.

The others stood and watched as they swayed and did a sultry dance round the floor.

"That's hot," Tony commented.

Beth and Miguel remained oblivious to everyone around them. There was no conversation; simply eye contact and a lot of body language. As the music reached a peak, he leaned her backwards and pulled her sharply back up so their foreheads brushed against each other. As he did so, Beth pulled her right leg up and wrapped it around his. He ran his hand up her back and they continued dancing.

Jim, watching from the side, whistled.

"Well…he _is_ Cuban," Ben said.

"And I always thought she was such a nice girl," Kristin laughed.

Jim looked side-long at Ben, who promptly turned round and held out his hand with his best, '_I know you're sizing me up, so let's just get this over with,_' smile.

"Ben Krieg, we haven't been introduced."

"Lieutenant Jim Brody," he said, giving Ben's hand a firm shake, "I hear you served on the 4600 – I."

"Yeah."

"_Under _your ex-wife?" Jim teased.

"Our personal circumstances had no bearing on the situation. Katie is an excellent commanding officer," Ben insisted, silencing Jim.

Standing a short distance away, Katie heard the comment and smiled to herself. A figure moving to stand alongside her dissipated the brief moment of warmth. She glanced towards the female and recognised her as one of the new crewmembers, but couldn't quite get a name.

'_Ah, now I remember who you are – Helmsman Henderson,'_ Katie thought. She'd seen her chatting away to both Jonathan and Jim Brody, although to her the 'chatting' had definitely more closely resembled flirting, and she didn't know who'd been the more eager contributor.

Lonnie turned her head and gave Katie a warm smile, before recognition flicked across her features.

"Uh, Captain," she stuttered, then switched her drink between hands to give a fumbled handshake. Katie rolled her eyes, '_Pretty and ditzy, just Jonathan's taste,_' she thought to herself, cheekily.

"At ease, Ensign," Katie held out her hand and Lonnie took it gratefully. "Katie Hitchcock," she introduced informally to set the other woman at ease.

"Lonnie Henderson, Fort Smith, Wyoming," she said enthusiastically, "I'm sorry," she said, apologising for her bashfulness, "You've left quite a reputation behind you."

Katie smiled, this time more genuinely. "First generation navy?"

Lonnie nodded, "Is it that obvious? Commander Ford said exactly the same thing when I first came onboard."

"Nuggets are easy to spot," Katie admitted, "If you grow up in a navy family, you're born with an edge. You're still soft."

"Thanks," Lonnie said.

Katie looked at her sharply, "That wasn't a compliment."

Lonnie gazed back, "I know, but I prefer being soft," she quipped.

Katie raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised, '_You've got guts kiddo, I'll admit that_.' She jumped as Ben appeared by her shoulder to lead her onto the dance floor. Not to be outdone, Jim also took Lonnie by the hand and made his best attempt to Latin dance. Seeing them broke the romantic tension between Miguel and Beth and they smiled. The song ended soon afterwards. Miguel took her hand and kissed it gently before leading them back to the table.

Nathan intercepted them as the next song started; 'Come Fly With Me'.

"After all that excitement I think its time for something a little smoother don't you?" he said and offered Beth his hand. He led her further onto the dance floor and began to dance with her round the room. Kristin caught Miguel as he made his way to the table.

"Would you show an old lady a good time?" she smiled.

"I'll show a gorgeous woman a good time," he grinned, "not so sure about the old part though."

She laughed heartily, and gave him her hand to begin dancing. He wasn't paying any attention to her, instead gazing out over the dance floor. She followed his line of sight to where Nathan was twirling around a broadly smiling Beth. Kristin's heart warmed at the sight. It was wonderful to see her so happy, especially after last seeing her so heart-broken at the loss of Doctor Briers. She looked back to Miguel. Whether he knew it or not, his eyes were full of love.

"Miguel, you haven't stopped looking at her all night," she told him.

"I know," he breathed. Kristin laughed.

***

The remainder of the evening passed by in a blur of dancing and good conversation. Tony had spent most of the evening on the dance floor with members of the crew, or his new squeeze. Jonathan and Lonnie had been on the dance floor a fair amount of time too, prompting rumours to circulate like wildfire. There were far more men than women, so Beth, Lonnie and Wendy found themselves passed between them all. Ben, however, would barely let Katie out of his arms, save for a dance with Nathan and Jonathan. He and Jim seemed to be constantly engaged in a battle of wits.

Jonathan had just intervened, convincing Jim to take Beth away from Tony before he spun her off her feet, and leading Ben away to the bar for an opportunity to catch up.

Katie and Kristin, sitting at the table together, simply rolled their eyes.

"How different do you think it is onboard now?" Katie asked.

"How do you mean?" Kristin asked, slightly bemused.

"Well with Beth, Henderson and Doctor Smith, there are more women on the senior staff," Katie remarked.

"Only one more than our crew."

"Well, I never really considered myself one of the women."

Kristin eyed her suspiciously. "You miss it don't you?"

"Don't you?"

"There's nothing quite like the seaQuest is there?" Kristin smiled and Katie agreed.

As much as she loved her own crew and her own boat, the camaraderie between the crew on the seaQuest was something that couldn't quite be matched. The mix of characters had been quite unique.

The slight moment of reverie was interrupted as Jim and Beth returned to the table, looking flushed and smiling widely. He politely asked if Kristin would like a dance, and she accepted eagerly, winking to Katie as she left.

Katie chuckled, amused that the woman's enthusiasm for the male sex hadn't diminished any. As Beth took her place, she regarded her coolly, not able to hold back the question any longer. "Why didn't you return any of my messages? It was like you'd disappeared off the face of the planet."

Beth's face froze in panic, and Katie could tell she was trying to think up a credible excuse.

It was different trying to come up with something for McGath – he didn't know any better, but Katie – she and Katie knew each other, or at least they _did_, and she didn't think she'd be able to hide the truth, so she didn't. She just didn't tell her anything, either. "Things have been…difficult," she began. "There's been stuff going on that I can't really explain right now. Maybe I can tell you about it some other time?"

Katie exhaled a deep breath in frustration, realising this was the exact reason she didn't bother with many female friends – they were just too complicated. "Don't worry about it. Are you enjoying yourself? I see you have some admirers," she teased.

"What? Where?" Beth joked, looking around her shoulders, feigning confusion.

"I'm talking about James Brody. Hey, didn't he lead the stealth invasion in the Korean crisis…?"

"Don't let him hear you say that," she groaned. "He doesn't need any more ego inflating. Nah, me and him go way back – grew up together."

"Really?"

"In fact, do you remember that dare night? Ben asked how many men I'd kissed, and I said one, a guy I'd grown up with who was now a Lieutenant in the navy?" she turned her eyes to the dance floor, where Jim and Kristin where whirling around, and hoped Katie would get the hint.

"Yes!" Katie exclaimed in disbelief. "That was him?"

"Yup, meet my first kiss," she smiled, and laughed happily.

"Well, I never…! When you said you'd only had one kiss, I never thought you'd make up for the quantity by going for quality."

"Oh!" Beth laughed. "If you weren't taken I'd give you an introduction," she winked. "What was it you said to me once about second chances?"

"Dare to believe?" Katie answered, grimacing. "Seriously though, it was on the cards."

"So, who dealt the right hand?"

"I leave nothing to chance."

"I'm glad you didn't – you look really happy." Which was true, they did look happy together. "You, uh, you certainly went for it on the dance floor earlier," she teased."

"Shhhh, I'm trying to uphold my reputation as a bad-ass."

"With all your superiors watching? I think that one went right out the port-hole."

"We're nothing compared to you and a certain young man over there. Mixing it up like nobody's business."

Her comment caused the colour to rise in Beth's cheeks. Where that dance had come from she had no idea, but it had certainly been an experience, and a passionate one at that. "Is it just me or is it hot in here," she breathed.

"It's you," Katie said, flatly, then they both burst out laughing. "It's good to see you."

"You too. I certainly wouldn't have pictured this after our last conversation."

"Nothing ever happens the way you expect, does it?"

"It certainly doesn't," Beth mused, with a mixture of contentment and sadness. Katie had no idea how true that statement was. Maybe one day she'd pluck up the courage to tell her. But for now she was enjoying just being normal in somebody's eyes.

***

"What's the security like on this place?" Jonathan asked Jim, later, as they tried to identify all the dignitaries from various confederations.

"Like a fortress," Jim commented through a mouthful of food. They, along with the other members of the crew, had been forcibly introduced to numerous confederation figureheads throughout the evening; all keen to meet the crew of the notorious seaQuest DSV. Ever the soldier, Jim had resented putting on a show of friendship for nations he'd fought against and lost friends to. Jonathan had been the diplomatic presence and stopped him short each time his comments became controversial.

"This buffet is fabulous," Jim mumbled through another mouthful of food.

"Let me try a bit of that," Jonathan reached in to snatch a morsel off Jim's plate.

Jim pulled his plate away and sheltered it protectively. "Get your own, Ford!"

***

As the evening drew to a close, the band announced it's final song, raising a chorus of disappointed sighs from the crowd. Despite a slow start, the dance floor had barely been empty for the last few hours.

"You've been a wonderful audience. This is our last song this evening. We hope you've all had a great time. So gentlemen, please take your ladies for one final dance," the singer announced.

Jim gave Miguel a slap across the back and nodded in Beth's direction. '_This is your chance, dude_,' his eyes read.

Nodding in agreement, Miguel nervously cleared his throat and walked over to where she was sitting. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She smiled, "Sure," she replied, just as nervous, taking his hand and walking with him onto the dance floor.

He put his arm around her, gently pulling her closer, and rested his head next to hers before they began to sway slowly.

"_Put your head on my shoulder, hold me in your arms baby. Squeeze me oh so tight, show me, that you love me too…_" sang the band.

She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting the music guide her feet.

Her scent filled the air around them. Miguel briefly closed his eyes, breathing it in deeply, allowing it to linger in his senses, and rested his cheek on her head. He couldn't remember ever having felt this way about a woman. He could feel her heart beating softly against his chest, while his own hammered away.

"I've had a great evening," he said softly.

Beth lifted her head so that their cheeks were touching again. "So have I," she breathed.

"_Put your lips next to mine dear, won't you kiss me once baby? Just a kiss goodnight, maybe, you and I will fall in love…"_ the song continued.

They swayed together, hearts in their mouths.

"Thank you," she said quietly

"What for?"

"For making me so happy," she sighed.

In response, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "In that case…thank you too," he said.

"_Put your head on my shoulder, whisper in my ear baby. Words I long to hear, tell me…_" the song went on.

As they continued to sway, Miguel reached up and stroked the back of her neck. His touch was so soothing that she felt the guards on her mind slipping.

As one, they pulled their heads back and danced, gazing at each other longingly, no longer able to resist the pull between them. With the least amount of effort, they both slowly leaned in and kissed each other.

As their lips met, Beth's legs felt like they were about to fall from beneath her. He was so gentle, expressing his feelings for her with such tenderness. They pulled back and looked in one another's eyes, seeing both pure joy and elation.

Miguel cupped her cheek with his hand and leaned in to place a heart-felt kiss on her forehead. Their faces rested against each other once more as they continued dancing.

She could hear his breath in her ear, tickling her senses as it rushed past. As her consciousness refocused on the room around them, she suddenly became aware that they were being watched. All their friends on the crew, whether dancing or standing by the side of the dance floor, were smiling at them, including Nathan.

"About time," Katie spoke softly into Ben's ear as they danced nearby, causing him to chuckle.

"Did I just see fireworks?" Piccolo shouted as he danced past them with Wendy, causing them all to laugh.

Beth and Miguel beamed at each other, their faces red with joy and embarrassment.

"I think we have an audience," she told Miguel. He looked around and laughed.

Purely contented, she lay her head back on his shoulder and he held her close as they swayed to the end of the song.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

As expected, the majority of the crew were heading back to the guys 'pad', so Beth and Lonnie stopped off at Beth's room first to change.

"Well," Beth sighed. "That was, _interesting_," she grinned, still flushed with excitement. She ducked as Lonnie threw a towel at her.

"Stop smiling, you'll split right down the middle," she stated, appearing less than happy about the way the evening had gone.

Beth eyed her, wishing she were half as good at reading people without using her abilities. "Lonnie level with me," she said, companionably. "You and Jonathan – what was that all about?"

At first it seemed she was going to remain as stubbornly silent as she had been all evening, but the internal conflict eventually steered her towards admitting the truth and she sat down on the bed ready to talk.

"It's silly really, but it just built into something so big," she confessed. Beth remained silent beside her, willing to listen. "It was after we pulled Tony out of that compound. Being in that place got to me. I was in the gym trying to work it off when Jonathan came in. I can't even remember what we were talking about, but we ended up discussing the ball and in typical '_Lonnie_' style, I complained about how I'd have to miss out because I'm not important enough and how no one would even ask me anyway. And he said the sweetest thing. He said, '_You're more important than you realise. How about you come with me?_'"

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. I don't think he even realised the implications until afterwards. I wouldn't have minded if he'd changed his mind, but you know Jonathan, once he gives his word…"

"So why are you so bummed? I thought it was a good night."

"It was, I just…like I said, I built it up into something it wasn't." She turned to Beth with an expression betraying the humiliation she was feeling. "He's gonna think I'm such a _girl_!"

"You are a girl."

"You know what I mean!"

"Did you say anything to him, about how you felt?"

"No!"

"Then he won't think of you any differently. He'll just have thought it was a couple of crewmates enjoying a glitzy evening together." With a groan, Lonnie buried her head in her hands. Beth chuckled and leaned over to wrap her arms round her in comfort. "Come on," she said, encouragingly. "The party isn't over yet."

"Can't I just go back to the boat?" Lonnie pleaded, but the dagger eyed glare Beth gave her soon put paid to any further thoughts in that direction.

It took a little more coaxing, but a short time later they finally made their way along the hall to join the others. They'd barely made it halfway when a door creaked open behind them and two pairs of feet padded in their direction.

"Did I miss the dancing?" Dagwood asked, eagerly.

"Where did you appear from?" Lonnie laughed. "No Dagwood, there'll be plenty more dancing for you," she said and took his arm as they walked.

Lucas and Beth smiled, watching them.

"Good night?" he asked.

"A very good night," she beamed.

"I don't think I want to know," he laughed.

Dagwood knocked eagerly on the door, beaming as Jim answered.

"Dag! Come on in," he waved them all through the door.

There was already quite a crowd of people in there, including a few women crowded around a very happy Jonathan. Lonnie eyed him thunderously, but was soon distracted by Dagwood's enthusiasm.

Jim herded them all into the lounge area and went to organise drinks.

"What about mine?" Lucas asked, teasingly, as he came back loaded hands.

"There's some juice in the fridge," Jim smiled.

Beth took a sip of her wine and looked around for Miguel, but couldn't see him. Jim could see her looking around anxiously.

"He's with Tim across the hall," he told her.

She laughed, "Is it that obvious?"

Sipping silently, they took a moment to survey the room. Tony stood next to the music system with a gaggle of girls, looking quite in his element. He selected some downbeat background music. Still standing, Dagwood looked at Lonnie expectantly. She smiled and stood up, taking his hand to begin dancing. As far as Dagwood was concerned, she could have been the only person in the room. Finally armed with a drink, Lucas negotiated his way back through the crowd to the couches. Beth patted the seat next to her and he sat down. They watched as Dagwood danced happily with Lonnie in his arms.

"There were a few unexpected guests at the ball," Beth told Lucas.

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

"Ben, Katie and Kristin," she smiled.

Lucas paused with his cup halfway to his mouth. "You're kidding, right? Ben was here?" he asked. "Why didn't you say anything? Are they still downstairs?!?" he exclaimed, already half-way out of his seat.

"I think they might still be at the bar," she said.

He put his cup down on the table and made for the door. "Thanks!" he shouted joyfully before leaving.

Ben and Katie were staying somewhere else, so had declined the offer to join them, but said they would come for breakfast the next morning. As she settled down on the sofa next to Jim, Beth hoped Lucas would find them. Lucas had been especially close to Ben. Whether he'd intended to or not, he'd taken on a nurturing role and had endeared himself to the boy.

"What's with the dancing?" she asked Jim, referring to Lonnie and Dagwood. Jim explained about Dagwood's arrest a few months previously and what he, Jonathan and Lonnie had done for him. "That's really nice," she said, surprised.

Jim looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, I'm a nice guy," he said.

"What about you and her?" Beth nodded at the brown haired beauty he'd danced with quite a bit throughout the evening.

"I don't think so," he told her. "I'm not really looking."

"Sorry dude," she sympathised, patting his leg.

He took her hand, "Nah, don't worry about it," he said. "You're getting enough for the both of us," he joked. "So…was he better than me?"

Beth shot him a dirty look and he laughed. Jonathan yelled to him to come and join him. He gave her an apologetic look and left her sitting alone.

She made small talk with those sitting around her and those who continued to come through the door, however the conversation soon ran dry, as had her glass. She carefully made her way through to the kitchen and helped herself to a refill. Perched on the counter, she scanned the room again, wondering where in the world Miguel and Tim had got to. Jim had joined Jonathan and his posse and they were all flirting outrageously. It made her laugh to see the women swooning around him. She couldn't get used to the idea of him being a ladies man. Dagwood was still happily spinning Lonnie around the room, while Tony was still entertaining by the music system. She caught his eye and waved. He slipped away from his fans and came to join her.

"Didn't anybody tell you drinking's bad for your health?" he teased. "Where's your third limb?"

"I don't know," she said, sarcastically. "Run off, probably."

"Doubtful," he retorted. "Look, I may be full of sarcasm, but I know the truth when I see it, and you and him…it's right, y'know?"

"Thanks, Tony," she muttered, surprised by his genuine words.

"You're welcome," he winked and turned back to the group of girls waiting for him. Halfway, he turned around again and walked back to her. "You know all those things I said a while back about sex and women?"

"Yeah?" she said tentatively.

"You know I'm not _that_ insensitive right?" he looked at her with a vulnerable expression she didn't think she'd ever seen him display.

She nodded, "Yeah, we know Tony," she reassured. He smiled shyly and turned away.

There was still no sign of Miguel or Tim. She wished they'd show up, even if for no other reason than to satisfy the gnawing feeling of worry that continued to chew at her insides, though it could just as easily been the wine. Her head was starting to feel more than a little cloudy, which suggested her alcohol intake should probably come to a grinding halt. Matters weren't helped by the fact she was tired too. She lifted her head as a draft of cool air floated by her from the open balcony doors and decided some fresh air might not be a bad idea.

The door slid tightly closed behind her, shutting out all the noise from the room. It was only then that she realised that being in the company of large crowds all day had taken its toll. She was accustomed to keeping her mind closed to the maelstrom of thoughts flying around, but sometimes the effort took a lot more than she realised. This was something Wendy sympathised with.

She wrapped her hands round the railings and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool fresh breeze. The solitary peace didn't last long though as she heard the door slide open behind her.

"You alright?" she asked, as Lonnie took up position beside her.

"Yeah, just a bit tired," she sighed.

"After all that dancing I'm not surprised. How you coping?"

"Yeah, it's alright," she waved it off, nonchalantly. "Where's Wendy?"

"She went back to her room. She was tired." Beth sighed, leaning down and putting her head in her hands. "I've drunk too much," she whined.

The door slid open behind them once more and an attractive young woman began stepping through onto the balcony. She looked up and saw the two women. "Oh I'm sorry," she said and started to back away.

"No, that's ok, we're just getting some air," Beth said.

The woman smiled and stepped out to join them. There was an expectant silence.

"Are you assigned to the seaQuest?" the woman asked them.

"Yeah," Lonnie answered.

The woman was silent for a few moments. Beth and Lonnie exchanged a suspicious glance. "Do you know Lieutenant O'Neill?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know Tim?" said Lonnie.

"Only a little bit…we met last summer," she blushed.

Beth and Lonnie looked at each other and smiled knowingly. It was fairly obvious she wanted to talk about Tim, so Lonnie invited her back inside for a drink. Beth sank her head back into her hands and leaned on the railings, beginning to feel somewhat abandoned.

***

Miguel and Tim walked across the hall and stood before the door.

"I'm not sure about this," Tim hesitated.

"Trust me," Miguel reassured, giving him a pat on the back.

With a deep breath, Tim opened the door, refusing to even look around, instead heading straight into the lounge and seating himself next to Dagwood.

'_Coward_,' Miguel smiled, scanning the room. He spotted a familiar figure on the balcony outside and smiled inside and out. The late night air whooshed past him as he slid open the doors, but she didn't stir, remaining doubled over, leant on the railing. He rubbed his hand gently on her back.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Knew it was me, huh?" he asked.

She stood up and smiled. "It's that Ortiz stink," she teased.

"Oh," he laughed, moving closer so they could wrap their arms around each other.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I was helping Tim out with something," he explained.

"There's someone looking for him by the way."

"I know – that's what I was helping him out with," he admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently he met her over the summer and he hasn't been able to shake her off. You should have seen his face when she turned up at the door."

"So, what's he going to do?" she asked.

Miguel swivelled them around to look back into the room where Tim was now talking to her, carefully attempting to explain something. Suddenly she threw back her hand and cracked it hard against his cheek, before storming out of the room. Appearing somewhat relieved, as well as dazed, Tim sat back on the couch with a grin.

"What did you tell him to do?" Beth asked.

"I told him to tell the truth – that he wasn't interested, that he'd found someone else,"

"He's found someone else?"

"Well, no, not really…" Miguel grinned. "You alright?" he asked, concerned, noticing she looked tired.

"Yeah, just a little drunk," she confessed.

He laughed, "You're not are you?"

"Just a little tipsy," she groaned.

"But…besides the drink, are you alright? With _this_ I mean?" He looked intently into her eyes.

"Are you?" she asked concerned.

He looked at her as if to say '_what? Are you kidding?_' and took her head in his hands to pull it towards him. He placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead and took her hand, leading her back inside.

"Have I missed anything?" he asked.

"You mean besides the endless flirting?" she joked.

Miguel looked in the direction of Jim and Jonathan, who were enjoying the company of their adoring fans. He grimaced and smiled. "Sometimes we men need our egos soothed," he said, causing her to laugh.

"Yeah, well, just don't expect too much of that from me," she teased.

"We'll see about that," he winked.

They poured themselves some drinks, then went through to the lounge and sat down next to Lonnie, Tony and Tim. Lonnie eyed Beth's drink suspiciously.

"It's water," Beth said.

"Good," Lonnie said sternly.

"She's not that bad is she?" Miguel asked.

"She kissed _you_, she must be drunk!" Lonnie joked.

"Hey! You tried it!" Miguel answered back.

Tony, Tim and Beth laughed loudly as Lonnie thumped Miguel across the chest. Dagwood looked up from the game he was playing.

"Why do people keep hitting, Ortiz?" he asked.

Miguel raised his hands. "That's what I'd like to know," he said.

They all looked over as Jim and Jonathan escorted their female admirers to the door and said goodbye. Lucas appeared in the doorway as they left. He let them pass, then walked in, looking rather confused.

"What happened?" Miguel asked, as they shut the door.

"I thought you guys wanted to get laid tonight," Tim joked.

"It's hardly a romantic atmosphere with you guys all watching," Jim quipped.

"Besides, we've still got another day of leave, there's plenty of time for that, huh Lonnie?" Jonathan winked at her, causing her to blush scarlet and everyone else to glance at each other suspiciously. He and Jim went to get another drink as Lucas sat down in the lounge.

"Did you find them?" Beth asked him.

"Yeah. They were heading out, though. God, it sounds weird to say that!"

"What?" Tim asked, through a mouthful of chips.

"_They_!" Lucas repeated. Tim and Miguel laughed in agreement.

"Katie looks good though, right?" Tim asked Lucas, winking at Miguel. It was a well-known fact that Lucas had developed an adolescent crush on the, then, Lieutenant Commander, during the first tour.

Lucas scowled at him, unimpressed.

"Does Lucas want to play?" Dagwood asked.

"What are you playing?" Lucas asked, getting up to kneel next to him, grateful for the change of subject.

"You have to do what the arrow says," Dagwood explained. In fact, what he'd unearthed was an old game from the 90's. It consisted of a large mat covered in coloured circles. The arrow was spun and it told the players which coloured circle to place their hand or foot in.

"We need two more players," Lucas told Dagwood, who looked up at them expectantly. Lonnie and Tony volunteered first, with Tim reading out the commands. Everyone else watched in amusement as they became increasingly tangled on the mat. Jim and Jonathan came and sat with them.

"Right hand green," Tim told Lonnie. She reached under Dagwood to place her hand on the circle.

"Left foot red, Dagwood," Tim read out.

Dagwood found he couldn't do that move very easily. Lonnie decided to play dirty and reached under Dagwood's arm to tickle him. He began to giggle and lose his balance.

"No, Dagwood, no!" Lucas and Tony both yelled. Dagwood burst into laughter and collapsed on top of them.

"Do I win?" Dagwood asked hopefully.

"NO!" Lucas and Tony yelled.

"Who's next?" Tim asked.

Miguel gave Beth an elbow. She reluctantly stood up and they both walked over to the mat. Jonathan and Jim decided to join in too and it wasn't long before the four of them were struggling to stay upright in awkward positions.

"Left hand yellow, Miguel," Tim said.

"_What?_" he exclaimed. He was facing upwards with his feet crossed over and now had to reach either under or over Jonathan to reach the yellow circle. Beth, Jim and Jonathan laughed as Miguel wriggled into position.

"Ok, right hand red, Jim."

"Oh man!" Jim moaned. He moved his hand underneath Miguel's back to reach the circle.

"Beth, left foot blue."

Everyone in the room burst out laughing as they saw what she had to do. The blue circle was on the other side of Jim and there were too many hands under him to move her feet through, so she'd have to go over. With both her hands on one side and her right foot on the next colour over, she carefully swung her leg over and planted her foot on the circle. She jokingly rested part of her weight on Jim's back.

"Don't you dare!" he mumbled.

"Right hand yellow, Jonathan."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" he shouted. He groaned and reached between his legs, behind him, and underneath everyone. He accidentally hit Miguel's foot and disaster struck. Miguel was so precariously balanced that the slightest touch caused him to crumble, taking Jim and Jonathan down with him. Beth, who had been on top of them all, was still standing, therefore winning the game.

The game continued for a while with various people getting squashed and tied in knots, but as the night wore onto early morning, everyone sat in the lounge engaged in conversation. They were discussing the unexpected romantic reunion between Ben Krieg and Katie Hitchcock.

"Well, I have no doubt about who wears the trousers in _that_ relationship," Jonathan added. Beth, Tim, Miguel and Lucas laughed.

"I don't know. I don't think we give Ben enough credit," Beth added.

"At least they're happy," Jonathan sighed with a hint of sadness.

"Do you think they'd be up for doing something tomorrow?" Lucas asked, hopefully.

"Probably. It would be stupid not to make the most of them being here," Tim added.

The topic moved onto Piccolo and just where on earth he'd learnt to dance. However, try as she might, Beth just couldn't concentrate on the conversation. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She pulled her legs up onto the sofa and snuggled into Miguel. He let go of her hand and brought his arm up to encompass her body. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep, while the conversation carried on around her.

Miguel felt her breathing slow down. He caught Tim's eye and pointed to her with his free hand.

"_Is she sleeping?_" he mouthed. Tim nodded.

Miguel put his glass down on the table and gently stroked her cheek, coaxing her back into the land of the living. She groaned and stirred.

"Time to go," he said softly.

"Argh!" she groaned as she moved her neck from side to side. She yawned and stood up. Miguel stood up along side her and placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the door.

"Night everyone," she called through another yawn.

"Night," Miguel echoed.

"Play safely, kids!" Jim shouted to them, teasing.

As the door closed behind them, knowing looks were exchanged round the room.

Lonnie sighed in frustration, "I guess I'm bunking here tonight then," she said, glancing nervously over at Jonathan.

"There's a spare bed in my room," Tim told her. Lonnie smiled at him gratefully.

***

Beth slid her key into the door and held it open for Miguel, who immediately laughed at the bulging bags of shopping lying like an obstacle course at the foot of her bed.

"What?" she asked, laughing also, "I had a lot of time to make up for."

She tidied her things away and picked up one of the bags. "I'm just going to get changed," she told him, and headed for the bathroom.

Miguel walked over to the window and opened it a touch. He then wandered round the room, examining Beth's things laid out. He picked up the digital photo album on her bedside table and smiled as he flicked through the pictures from her first stay on the seaQuest. He had copies of all these pictures himself, but never tired of looking at them. He paused at one of himself, Beth, Ford and Shan in a launch on the Arctic Ocean; freezing cold and wet, yet smiling like idiots. There was another of Beth and Lucas in the lab with Doctor Westphalen, and one from Christmas of he and Beth at the ice rink. There would be plenty more to add from the last few weeks.

He set down the album and sat at the end of the bed. Hoping she would let him use the shower, he pulled off his t-shirt and trousers, feeling strangely nervous, which was something he didn't normally feel around women.

Beth certainly wasn't the first woman to catch his eye. Back home he'd, somewhat embarrassingly, earned a reputation as the 'neighbourhood cherry popper'.

There were too few opportunities for young men to make something of themselves in Cuba, and far too many opportunities for them to make a mess of their lives. It wasn't as if he went looking for trouble, in fact the opposite – he _wanted_ to make something of himself. His grades were good in school and his head was filled with ambitions for the future, but it wasn't that easy in that part of the world, and being in the wrong crowd began to catch up with him.

He'd been one of the lucky ones; his parents had managed to catch him before his lifestyle spiralled out of control, and had virtually press-ganged him into the navy. To begin with, he'd resented them, and had continued to use his charm and chiselled physique to bed woman after woman at various ports of call. He cringed to think of it now, but at the time he just couldn't see the shallowness in it all. He needed some release from the constraints the navy were trying to impose on him, and sex and drink provided just the thing. But after a while, something about the ordered discipline of the Academy brought him down a notch or two and, once assigned to the seaQuest, he found himself relishing the various assignments and situations they faced. Not only was he more receptive to the disciplined atmosphere, but he began imposing discipline on himself for the first time in years, and his playboy antics stopped. His new outlook on life, however, jarred with his friends at home, who had failed to move on with their lives. He'd made sure to thank his parents then, for the life they'd given him, and for having the seaQuest to go back to.

After the Livingston Trench incident, the seaQuest had become an altogether more interesting vessel. Miguel was able to put his skills to use in more than just a military fashion, and nothing had demonstrated that more than the arrival of Beth and working with her on the designation of the _Briers-Allen Marine Reserve_. He'd fallen for her, hard, during a time in his life when he was looking for something more. That experience, as well as losing the first seaQuest had given him a new perspective – that all the shallow dalliances with various women just weren't worth it, life was about more than that. It was that philosophy, he supposed, that had made him react so strongly to Beth's statement about sex. Hearing her express the same desire as him had reaffirmed his feelings in every possible way.

The bathroom door clicked open, interrupting his thoughts, and he turned his head to see Beth walk out wearing a short, satin nightgown. He swallowed and caught her raise an eyebrow at the sight of him sitting on the end of her bed in his boxers.

"I thought I might have a shower," he said. She looked away and the shower started up behind them. He was pleasantly surprised. "Huh," he smiled, shyly, "that's pretty cool. What else can you do?"

Beth set down her clothes and wash bag. "Um…I don't know. What would you like me to do?" Miguel didn't say anything. He simply looked tenderly into her eyes. She looked into his and dove into his thoughts.

_Kiss me,_ was all she heard, and was all she needed to hear.

Never looking away from him, she slowly moved closer, and climbed up onto the edge of the bed to straddle his lap, crossing her legs behind him, pulling him closer so their warm bodies fitted snugly together. As he laid his hands on her back, she brought her hands up to trace the lines of his face, his beautiful face. All the while their hearts were pounding in anticipation.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and as their lips met eagerly once more, Beth's stomach fluttered in delight. The kiss was hungry and passionate, but filled with all the gentleness of before.

Miguel pulled away and buried his face in her neck, kissing her tenderly. She arched her head back and moaned quietly in delight, while her hands roamed over the taught muscles of his bare back. With her still wrapped around him, and kissing him eagerly, he slowly pushed himself up off the bed, walking round to the side, and laying her carefully down beneath him.

He looked down at her and stroked the hair behind her ear. "I just want to kiss you…nothing else," he whispered.

Beth nodded in silent delight as he brought his lips down to hers once more.

***

Miguel awoke in the early hours to an empty bed. He could hear water running in the bathroom. The sound stopped and Beth's figure walked back to the bed. She slid back under the covers and lay her head on the pillow, looking at him.

"You alright?" he asked, sleepily. She nodded her head and shuffled closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so she lay alongside him with her head on his bare chest. He could feel her trembling beneath his touch. With his free arm he tucked the blankets around them and gave her a reassuring kiss on the head.

"More nightmares?" he asked, gently stroking her back.

"No," she said quietly, "this is the second night in a row I haven't had any."

Miguel looked down at her, surprised. "That's great!" he exclaimed, sitting up and propping himself against the back of the bed.

"It's only two nights, Miguel, they could come back."

He looked at her thoughtfully, "What's changed? Why have they stopped now?"

"I think it was something Jim said the other night. He made me realise that I'm in control of my life for the first time, and I guess that made me start thinking about the future, and it took my mind off the past."

As she said those words he realised why she'd looked so different the past day; she had hope in her eyes again, and it was the most beautiful sight.

"Then, why were you up just now?" he asked, concerned.

"I drank too much, Miguel, I needed to pee," she frowned.

Miguel laughed, causing her to break into a smile. She shook her head. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed, causing him to laugh even more. Unimpressed, Beth grabbed her pillow and lobbed it off his head.

"Oi!" he exclaimed, grabbing his own pillow for defence and leaping off the bed to get away from her. She hammered him once more and as he turned away, she leaped off the bed onto his back. He stumbled under the unexpected weight.

"Ow!" he cursed as he crashed into the other bed and negotiated round it, through the dark, to the window. She slid from his back and stood in front of him. The cool, night breeze was refreshing.

He bent down and rubbed his shin. "That's gonna be a nasty bruise in the morning," he groaned, much to Beth's amusement. "What did you see? When you thought about the future?" he asked, as he slid his arms about her waist.

"Opportunities," she sighed.

"To do what?"

"To laugh…to smile, to travel, to read, to sleep in, to gaze at the stars, to be free, to eat ice cream and chocolate every day of the week."

"Oh, I don't know about that last one. I don't want to be the Senior CPO with the big fat girlfriend," he chuckled as Beth trod firmly on his foot. She wasn't sure what surprised her more – his objection to the junk food, or him calling her his girlfriend.

"What's wrong with fat girlfriends?" she teased.

"A lot if you want to keep jumping on my back!" he joked, "But _what_ do you see?" he asked, returning to the previous topic, "I don't just mean in general. Now that you have all these opportunities and choices, what are you going to do with them?"

"It's too soon for making plans, Miguel."

"I wasn't talking about us," he said, misunderstanding her.

"Neither was I," she said firmly, "It's too soon for plans, about us or otherwise, for me anyway." She encircled her hands round his, "Do you have plans?"

"Of course I have plans. Ever since I was ten and my folks gave me that, '_You can be whoever you want to be'_, speech, I've had plans," he smiled, "but all I really want is a future where I'm secure and happy. I think that's all anybody wants."

Beth looked up at the moon, hanging bright in the sky, and contemplated those words. 'Security', it was something she craved above all else, but was possibly the most unobtainable thing on earth. Life was never certain; it moved in unpredictable ways and therefore nothing was ever secure. Looking up at the moon, she could now understand why ancient cultures worshipped it. It moved in predictable patterns; it could be depended upon; it was always there.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, disturbed by her silence.

"The future," she laughed, smiling at the irony.

He turned her round to face him. "Tell me about it."

She frowned at him, "No, Miguel."

He brought his hand up and stroked her cheek. "You have to trust me, _Mariposa_. Do you still think you disgust me? Because believe it or not, you're not the most disturbing thing I've come across lately. I've seen loads of things I can't explain; Wendy projecting a force-field with her hands, a chaos cloud driving people insane, mutant flowers. I've almost been killed twice – once by an alien and once by an ancient curse," he said, bringing Beth down to earth with a bump. It was good to be reminded that there were stranger things than her out there.

"I don't think that," she reassured, "I'm scared," she confessed, "I have so many things I want to do with my life but I don't want to start believing they'll happen. It's like, if you tell someone your wish, it won't come true," she paused, "and I'm scared that if I admit how I feel about you, if I give myself to you, I'll lose you like I lost Bill."

Miguel felt a stab of pain as he remembered the tender relationship between Beth and her academic mentor. He tucked her head under his chin and rocked her gently. "I'm scared too, so we can't shut each other out, alright?" he embraced her tightly. "You're not going to lose me," he said, making a promise that both of them knew he couldn't possibly keep. Life didn't work like that. "Do you miss him?" he asked after a while.

"Yeah," she sighed sadly.

"He knew about you didn't he?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "I have something for you," she said suddenly and pulled away from him.

He watched as she went to rake in her bag for something and returned holding a wooden box. She handed it to him and he turned it over in his hands, before gingerly lifting open the lid. In the faint moonlight he could just make out an intricately decorated silver compass.

"Every sailor should have one," she said, "so he knows where home is."

He examined the dial and the needle. "Thank you," he said, truly touched by the gesture. She had no idea how important it was for him to have a port to turn to in a storm. He set the compass on the windowsill and took her hands, pulling her in towards him.

"I will say one thing," he said, "_this_ certainly wasn't in my plans," he teased. "Never fall for anyone on the boat – that was my mantra…look where it got me," he paused and brushed his hand through her hair, "but I wouldn't change this," he said simply. As Beth brought her arms up to encircle his neck, he found himself naturally bending to her. He grasped her face with his hands and allowed their foreheads to rest together.

"What about when we're back onboard?" she asked.

"That's not now," Miguel breathed and kissed her eagerly once more.


	11. Chapter 11

This is where it all kicks off. Thank you to anyone who is still reading x

*******

It was strange watching someone sleep, so at peace, lost in their own dreams. Dreams are the one place that people find themselves truly free. Free to be whoever they want, do whatever they want and go wherever they want. Endless possibilities there to explore, but still the mind seems to come back to the same things over and over. Beth had to force herself not to peek at what those things were in Miguel's dreaming mind. Instead, she contented herself with observing the steady rise and fall of his chest. It was a joy just to watch him completely off guard. She'd never shared a bed with anyone before, so the closeness and intimacy was exhilarating. Having his warmth at her back had made her feel safer than she'd ever done before.

Though reluctant to leave the seemingly perfect picture in front of her, the call of nature couldn't wait any longer. Carefully peeling back the bed sheets, she tiptoed to the toilet. It was still early morning, so she figured she'd shower while he was still sleeping. While she did so, she contemplated what they could do with the day. No doubt everyone would want to make the most of Ben and Katie being in town. Of course Beth was delighted to see them, but the selfish part of her wanted to keep her and Miguel wrapped in a bubble, resistant to any outside influences, just for one day.

After turning off the shower, she turned on the small television in the wall and selected a music channel. She wiped the condensation off the mirror and took a long, hard look at herself.

'_This needs work_,' she thought, running a comb through the, now too long, strands of hair. That would have to be a task for summer vacation – get hair styled. For now though, humming along with the music, she simply tied it back and fixed it in a rough bun. She popped her head through the shower door to see Miguel still lying flat out on his back. She couldn't blame him for making the most of the lie-in. Maybe someday they'd be able to enjoy that luxury together, but today her thoughts were racing too fast to even contemplate it.

The bags of shopping lay invitingly at the foot of the bed. Feeling a lot like a child at Christmas, she rooted around for a pair of jeans, a white top and a pair of brown boots. It felt so good to be wearing her own clothes for a change, and as she gazed quickly in the mirror, she realised it looked a lot better too. With a smile, she wondered how Miguel would feel about being dragged shopping for the day.

She looked away from the mirror with a frown, taking a moment to figure out what was troubling her. The music had stopped – the channel had stopped broadcasting, and instead a man was talking…about politics by the sound of it. She turned to face the television and froze.

"Miguel!!!" she shouted, and ran back through to the room. She turned on the larger television to find the same broadcast playing on all channels.

"Miguel!" she repeated, batting him on the leg, never once looking away from the screen.

"_What?_" Miguel stirred and groaned, rubbing his eyes. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision and focused on the picture. "Oh my God," he said, with the same horrified realisation that Beth had experienced moments before.

They both jumped as a loud knocking came from the door to their room, followed seconds later by Jim and Jonathan barging in.

"We gotta move!" Jonathan said sternly, motioning out the door with his thumb.

Miguel and Beth both shared a worried glance, before leaping into action, gathering their belongings and heading for the stairs.

***

Downstairs in the lobby of the hotel, civilians gathered round television screens engaged in nervous chatter, while the military personnel present for the ball listened intently to the orders coming in from their superior officers. Nathan was one of them, taking orders through his PAL from General George Anderson. In the absence of Admiral Noyce, Anderson had stepped in to co-ordinate efforts.

"What's the status of my boat?" Nathan asked.

"Your boat's been taken care of, Captain. The skeleton crew moved her to a secure location."

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. "Are we implementing the _Homeland_ strategy?"

"It's already in play. Get your crew to the seaQuest, hold her three miles north of the docks and wait there for the go ahead."

"Understood," he signed off and looked around as Ford, Brody and several other members of staff came thundering down the stairs.

"Captain!" Ford shouted. "How bad is it?"

"Bad, Commander. Mobilise the crew, we're leaving for the boat."

"Aye, Sir," Ford said and walked away, clicking his PAL into action and broadcasting to every member of the crew.

"Where are Lucas and Smith?" Nathan asked.

"They were right behind us," Brody commented.

Nathan turned in time to see them rushing down the last few flights of stairs.

"Captain!" Lucas shouted. "What's going on?" he asked as all the televisions flickered into life and began broadcasting the same message. Ford, Brody, Ortiz and Beth's stomach's churned as they stared into the all too familiar face.

"It can't be him," Ford said, aghast.

"Who? Who is that?" Lucas asked.

"Shhh," Doctor Smith said impatiently.

"Good day," Samson began, "The inception of the UEO was meant to be a symbol of hope for the future of all undersea colonies and industries; an organisation whose mandate was to maintain peace and harmony and the precious ecological balance in our oceans. At the signing of the charter, the UEO comprised eight major confederations. Now with six more member nations, the UEO holds more sway over our lives than any other global organisation. But what good has it brought us? While money floods into the pockets of the Presidents and Generals of the UEO aligned nations, fledgling colonies continue to struggle, food fails to reach those who need it most and piracy runs rampant in eastern waters. I have seen first hand, the consequences of this relentless pursuit of economic power and influence that has gripped so many confederations, while the UEO has done nothing but stand by and watch, and I believe it's time for change."

The picture panned away to reveal a large number of UEO delegates seated round a conference table; each one flanked by an armed guard. Samson stepped onto the screen once more, holding a sheet of paper.

"As you can see, I am not the only one who holds this view. I hold here a declaration stating that the UEO will release the following member confederations from the charter, on charges of crimes against humanity, and will enforce strict trade embargoes and international sanctions with immediate effect, while promising urgent aid packages for their citizens…"

He continued to list the confederations comprising the continents of South America, Africa and East Asia. Miguel blanched as his confederation was read out. If it were released from the UEO he'd be stripped of his position on the seaQuest.

"…the people in this room have four hours to agree to our demands. Otherwise we will be forced to find another solution to this global problem. We will not rest until the people of our confederations are given the quality of life they deserve. Thank you for listening." He nodded to someone standing off screen and the picture went blank.

Panic erupted in the lobby, as the civilians who hadn't already seen the broadcast began exclaiming and rushing to the nearest vid-link. The crew of the seaQuest stood, stone-faced. Nathan noticed his Sensor Chief struggling to maintain composure and walked over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I have no intention of letting these terrorists break up what we've fought so hard to protect. No matter the truth in his statement, forcing the UEO into conflict is not the way to solve problems." He reassured his crew.

"Who is he?" Lucas asked again.

Ford licked his lips and ran his hand over his face, uncertainty and regret showing on his normally composed features. "He's one of the refugees we tried to help in the Solomon's. His son was killed when the data processing centre exploded."

"They weren't keen on the UEO that's for sure," Brody added.

"With good reason," Beth commented, "His family lost everything because the UEO can't maintain control over these dictatorships. There are no jobs, the economies are stagnating, and all because these so called 'leaders' are more interested in developing defensive technologies than providing for their people! It's no wonder someone's decided to take a stand!" she said, exasperated.

"That's enough!" Nathan silenced her. He didn't know how many of his crew were having the same thoughts, but he wasn't about to risk reducing moral any further. "We need to get to the boat, come on, let's move!"

***

Shortly after moving the seaQuest into position, Bridger called his senior staff to the Wardroom to brief them on the situation. It was just past 1030.

"Alright, this is the situation as I understand it," he began. "A large section of the UEO compound is under enemy control, including the safe-house where the delegate summit was being held."

"Who's in there?" Wendy asked, concerned.

"McGath, Noyce, and the President, along with a delegate from every confederation on the planet," Brody told them. Everyone stood in disbelief.

"My God," O'Neill voiced everyone's thoughts.

"How did they get in?" Ortiz asked.

Bridger braced himself – they weren't going to like the explanation. "At exactly 0915 this morning, the UEO central mainframe was infiltrated by a virus that knocked out all the security systems at UEO headquarters. At the same time, a code red emergency was signalled in the Central OPS building and a storage facility near the munitions depot. Believing the two to be connected, the Colonel in charge of perimeter security, Colonel Trent, sent in half the soldiers on guard duty to assess the situation. With his men thinned out, these mercenaries were able to force their way through, mostly on land but water too. They have control of the docks."

"But that's ridiculous; UEO headquarters is high priority, it's like a fortress. Even with half-guard you'd need at least…" Ford started.

"…three thousand men, exactly," Bridger finished.

"_Three thousand?_" Lucas asked. "How is it possible that three thousand men could have amassed here without being noticed?"

"It's becoming quite clear that what we interrupted in the Solomon's was part of a much larger plan. Unfortunately those events seem to have only poured fuel on the fire," Bridger sighed. "These men could have been gathering here for months."

"What about those men Colonel Trent sent to Central OPS and storage – what did they find?" Brody asked.

"He lost contact with them. They haven't been seen or heard from since…" Bridger informed them. "That's over 500 men."

Ford and Brody blanched. All their strategic knowledge told them that an assault against such a well-guarded compound shouldn't even be possible, let alone successful. Three thousand men was less than a third of the soldiers and sailors stationed on base. They shouldn't have been able to penetrate so far without resistance. Something about it didn't sit right, and they couldn't figure out what.

"Are there any casualties?" Doctor Smith asked, suddenly.

"Those who could make it out are being treated at an emergency field centre," Bridger told her, "and there are likely to be more."

He took the time to survey the faces of his crew. For the most part they were all tried and tested in the face of danger, but that didn't mean placing them in its path got any easier.

"SOCOM is sending a taskforce of Navy SEALS from the _California_ to rendezvous with us in fifteen minutes. They've prepared an amphibious operation to secure the docks and clear a passage to the field centre. Commander Ford, Lieutenant Brody – prepare a team to provide support. Take Ortiz too, and Piccolo is waiting for you in the launch bay; the SEALS want to send him in first. A second assault is being launched by the Marine Corps from the _California_." Bridger turned to look at Doctor Smith. "I want you to go and assist at the field centre. They'll need all the help they can get."

Smith nodded, relieved that she'd be able to assist in some way. Lucas, O'Neill and Beth however, looked at him, anxious to know their part.

"There are hostage negotiators on the scene, but if that fails we're going to need as much information as possible about the situation on the ground." He looked to O'Neill and Lucas, "You two, and Henderson, are going to use this boat to hack into the KH-13 reconnaissance satellite network and get me a complete picture of the compound. I want to know _everything_ that's going on in there. Even what colour underwear these guys are wearing."

Lucas gave a strained smile.

"Anything you get will help the ground troops if they have to storm the compound," Bridger continued. That only left Beth. He could sense her staring intently at him. He knew she'd want to be in among the action, but that would only create added problems. She lacked strong enough combat knowledge and experience to join the military element, and the technical expertise to help with the satellites. "Doctor Smith, you'll take Miss Allen to the field centre with you. Take Dagwood too, he's waiting with Piccolo." Beth lowered her head in disappointment then raised it to look defiantly into the eyes of the Captain.

'_Good_,' he thought,'_she's not going to put up a fight_'

"I don't have much else to tell you, other than to take care of each other…and God speed," he said to close.

"Alright, let's go," Brody said to the men, "Doctor Smith?"

"Yeah," she nodded. She and Beth proceeded to march from the room with the men. Brody led his team to the munitions locker where they stocked up on everything they needed, while Smith did the same in med-bay. As they pulled on their utility vests, Ortiz took the opportunity to voice his opinions.

"I didn't think they'd take it this far," he said to Ford.

"None of us did, Miguel. All we can do now is try and stop them taking it any further," Ford answered. Loaded with rifles and spare ammunition, they all headed for the shuttles.

***

"You remember everything I taught you?" Wendy asked Beth as they waited with Dagwood in the launch bay for information on the operation.

"Yeah," Beth nodded anxiously. When she'd first come onboard, it had been Doctor Smith's responsibility to give her a crash course in combat medicine. Of course, neither she nor Beth ever seriously thought she'd be called on to use it so soon.

The taskforce from the _California_ had arrived half an hour ago, and immediately put their plan into action. As far as she was aware, Tony was to go in first to scout out the numbers and locations of enemy targets, before unlocking the docking ports and allowing the launches to gain access. The time between incursion and completion should have been no longer than 30 minutes. Her mind wandered, hoping nothing had gone wrong.

"Doctor Smith?"

Dagwood looked up eagerly at the sound of Brody's voice coming through Wendy's PAL.

"Smith, receiving."

"We're clear Doctor, you can proceed to the surface," Brody told them.

"Understood, Lieutenant," Wendy signed off and looked to a stone-faced Beth. "Let's go," she said simply.

"We're leaving?" Dagwood asked, eagerly.

"Yeah," Beth breathed, suddenly wondering whether this was such a good idea.

***

"There are five satellites available in the next 20 minutes and each one will only have a two minute window," Lucas told Bridger. "I'll take two and the rest of you can take one. If we all focus on different parts of the compound we'll build up a faster picture."

"We can only intercept one satellite at a time," O'Neill commented.

"Yeah, so this is gonna be quick," Lucas told them.

"Lead the way Lucas," Henderson sat ready at her console.

"I'll take the north-east quadrant with the first satellite. O'Neill, focus on the front of the building with the second. Henderson, take the access roads to the east with the third. I'll look at the safe-house with the fourth and Captain you take the central OPS building with the last."

"Alright, just say when," Bridger sat himself at a station.

"Co-ordinates set," Henderson said.

"Ok, the first satellite should be in range in two minutes. I'm going to shoot an algorithm at its defence mechanisms to override the security features. Here goes…" Lucas fired away on the keyboard. "I'm in! It's moving into position." His heart hammered. It was taking too long to move into view of the building. "Ok, it's there, I'm downloading the information." Seconds later the satellite moved out of range and the connection was lost. "O'Neill you're up," Lucas told him.

"Second satellite in range in three minutes," he said.

***

Brody and the others arrived at the field centre to a barrage of injured screams, vehicular rumbling and distant gun pops. The temporary medical centre was located at the far side of the parkland that bordered the UEO headquarters. This was also where General George Anderson was co-ordinating the ground resistance element at a temporary Joint Command Centre. Colonel Trent greeted them as they crossed the perimeter.

"Colonel," Ford greeted him with a handshake.

"Commander," Trent barked as he shook Ford and Brody's hand.

"We were sorry to hear about your men, Sir," Ford told him.

"We haven't found any bodies yet, Commander. Don't be so quick to give up hope – it isn't good for morale," the tall, broad Colonel grimaced as he looked at the others with them – two women and a dagger. "I don't know what the rules are on your boat, but you ought to know better than bringing civilians into a hot zone. They'll have to leave," he said, shooting them all an ugly glare.

"Sir, this is Doctor Wendy Smith, Beth Allen and Dagwood, our Alpha Model-K. Captain Bridger thought they could be of use in the medical tent," Ford explained.

Anderson eyed them suspiciously. Doctor Smith he recognised. She'd had something to do with that psychic incident a few months back. The younger woman was eyeing her surroundings with a keen eye, taking in every detail and conversation. She made him nervous, in fact their entire presence made him nervous. This compound was his responsibility. Having them there was nothing more than a kick in the teeth, regardless of the circumstances. "Alright, I'll have a man escort them to the medical tent and I'll fill you in on what we know." He waved over a nearby Private.

Beth looked from Jonathan to Tony and Jim to Miguel, concern for their safety plain in her eyes.

"Take care of her Dagwood, alright?" Brody told him. Dagwood stuck out his chest proudly and nodded.

Beth was struggling against the maelstrom of noise around her. She looked intently at them all. "Good hunting," she said sternly. They all nodded at her, already focused on the job at hand.

She looked them each in the eyes '_The hedges - go through, not over,'_ she spoke directly to their minds. All four men started in surprise, but concealed it well. She nodded with eyebrows raised in question. They all nodded – message received – and watched as she followed the Private to the medical tent.

Miguel watched with conflicting emotions. He'd longed to reach out and take her hand for one last moment of contact, however fleeting. Instead he stared at her back until it disappeared into the crowd then turned his attention to the task at hand.

***

"I lost it Captain. It passed out of range before I could crack the defences," Henderson sighed.

"It's alright, there'll be others," Bridger reassured.

They were intercepting their second batch of satellites. Lucas had estimated it would take at least five batches of 20 minutes each to build up a complete picture for the troops on the ground. That was over half the time they'd been given.

"How soon will the next one be in range?" Bridger asked.

"30 seconds, I'm on it!" Lucas launched an attack, disabling the security features of the satellite and focused it over the northwest quadrant of the headquarters. The visual information streamed into the memory banks of the seaQuest. "Out of range in 3, 2, 1…signal lost Captain,"

Bridger turned to his left, "Ready Mr O'Neill?"

"Yes Sir, obtaining connection in 90 seconds," he concentrated.

***

Wendy, Beth and Dagwood were quickly press-ganged into service at the medical tent. Dagwood was led away to help carry men back from the fighting to the tent. Having only basic combat medical training, Beth found herself following the orders of barking army doctors. She pulled on a pair of gloves and got stuck in.

Wendy quickly made her way to the back of the tent and began treating unattended patients. Thankfully there were only a few mortal wounds. She drugged them up as best she could to make them comfortable and sat with them, asking about family, friends, anything to ease their passing. As she closed the eyes of a young Private, Dagwood ran past her with a wounded soldier. She looked frantically around her. There were no spare beds. She grabbed a sheet from the ground and laid it out.

"Dagwood! Lay him here!" she shouted. She knelt beside the young man and examined his injuries. He'd been shot with a pulse rifle in the upper thigh, dangerously close to his femoral artery.

"Hi there, can you tell me your name?"

"B…B…Br…ian," the man stammered.

"Brian, hi, I'm Wendy, I'm a Doctor. You're going to be just fine, alright?" She looked up and grasped Dagwood's hands and placed them above the wound.

"Push down hard here!" she told him, "that's it, keep your hands there!" She looked around her, "I need help over here!" she shouted. An older woman rushed over to her carrying a medical kit.

"What's his prognosis?" she asked.

Wendy looked up into the cool and collected eyes of Doctor Kristin Westphalen.

"Uh, a pulse shot wound to the anterior thigh. I think it might have nicked the femoral artery," Wendy told her.

"Let's take a look, remove your hands please," Kristin directed. The wound in the man's upper thigh proceeded to bleed profusely. She carefully eased her fingers around in the wound, causing the soldier to writhe with discomfort. "Clamp, please," she said as she identified the source of the bleeding. Wendy handed over the instrument. "Yup, that's got it for now. Give him some morphine." Kristin remarked. "I'll go get the surgeon," she said and hurried away.

"Do I put my hands back now?" Dagwood asked.

"No Dagwood, you did great, you can go back and help the others," Wendy breathed. She watched as he ran off to help at the perimeter. As she turned back to Brian, there was a deafening explosion from the direction of the compound. She flinched; her unprotected ears ringing loudly and shakily looked around. There was momentary silence before chaos erupted once more.

"Dagwood!!" she shouted, "DAGWOOD!!!" People rushed past her to help those caught up in the blast. Brody, Ford, Piccolo and Ortiz were among them. They passed Dagwood carrying two men away from the scene.

"Good work Dag!" Tony called to him. They also met Beth struggling to support a semi-conscious soldier.

"Keep going! I'll help her out!" Ford called, as Brody, Ortiz and Piccolo ran off to help others. Ford lifted the soldier from the other side and they pulled him back to the medical tent. Halfway there, the soldier collapsed and Ford swung him over his back to cover the last few metres. Kristin spotted them. "Down here!" she ordered. They lay him down. "Is he breathing?" she asked.

Beth placed her ear next to the soldier's mouth. "No."

Kristin checked his pulse…nothing. "Tilt his head back, is there anything in his gullet?"

Beth looked in. "I think he swallowed his tongue," she observed.

"Alright, pull it out," she told her.

Beth carefully reached in and extracted the man's tongue from the back of his throat as Ford looked on.

"Now, keep his head tilted back, pinch his nose, cover his mouth with yours and exhale deeply when I tell you," she said as she took position over the soldier's chest. She found a point just below the notch in the ribcage, straightened her arms and began compressions. "Now!" she barked. Beth breathed into him and Kristin resumed another set of compressions, "Again!" she shouted. The cycle continued a few more times. "Jonathan, check his pulse," she told him. Ford checked under the man's neck and shook his head. Kristin and Beth resumed CPR. "Check again," Kristin panted. Jonathan reached under his neck. A grin slowly spread across his face and he nodded. Beth and Kristin both sighed in relief.

Ford patted Beth on the back, "Good work!" he told her. "Alright?"

"Yes go, we'll be fine," Kristin told him. He hurried back to find the others.

***

Colonel Trent called the men over to hear what had happened. They listened intently to a young Corporal. "There were laser beams above the hedges. They set off explosive charges when the men climbed over," the soldier explained.

Brody, Ford, Piccolo and Ortiz looked at each other with knowing eyes. They didn't quite understand how, but that was what Beth was trying to warn them about.

"I'm calling the Captain," Ford told Brody and walked away.

***

"One more set of satellites and we've pretty much got our picture," Lucas told everyone.

"Captain, I've got Commander Ford on TAC one," O'Neill called out.

"Put him through," Bridger said. "How are things going, Commander?"

"Not good, Sir, about a dozen men just got blown apart. They've got some serious defences set up in there. I could use Henderson's expertise. The explosives look pretty improvised, she might be able to help us disarm them."

Bridger looked to the Ensign, who was sitting up eagerly in her seat.

"Alright, we're almost finished with the satellites then we'll come to you. We'll be about 30 minutes," Bridger estimated.

"That only gives us an hour until the deadline," Ford realised.

"That's the best I can do, Commander," Bridger snipped.

"Alright, Ford out," he signed off.

Bridger turned to the three members of the crew on the Bridge. "One thing at a time. Who's got the next satellite?"

"You do Captain," Lucas remarked.

"Oh, yes, so I do," he took a seat and prepared to activate the link-up.

***

There had been few new casualties during the last 30 minutes, but several more had succumbed to their wounds. Wendy leaned heavily against a nearby army truck and panted. Her mind spun. She couldn't concentrate with so many people around and with so many in so much pain. The thoughts were deafening and strained her both physically and mentally. Tears began to stream down her face. She cried aloud in frustration at both herself and the situation. She was normally so controlled. She turned and leaned her head against the truck and took ten deep breaths, slowly bringing her walls back up and blocking out some of the noise. She exhaled, feeling slightly calmer and walked back to the medical tent. She couldn't allow herself to lose control, not now. This wasn't nearly over. She recoiled slightly as Beth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked

"No, it's…"

"I know," Beth nodded sadly, "it's difficult."

"Yeah," Wendy agreed. Beth gave her shoulder a squeeze then walked away to resume treating patients. Wendy watched her go. Knowing Beth's abilities far surpassed her own, she felt a new empathy for the young Doctor. Anyone who could keep their head while hearing everyone else's deserved some respect. It was sad that only the two of them understood that fact.

***

"What is it with you lot and civilians?" Colonel Trent barked as Bridger led Lucas, Henderson and O'Neill towards the J.C.C. "_He _can't be here!" Trent pointed at Lucas. "I've already had to warn your Commander about this."

"I beg your pardon? If it weren't for _him_, we wouldn't have intelligence for your ground troops," Bridger quipped. He wasn't going to be spoken down to by some soldier with ideas of grandeur. "And if you want to get your networks back online, I suggest you let him through."

Trent glared at him. "I already made exceptions for your Doctor and your G.E.L.F. You sailors need to start following the rules. We're under attack here, Captain, this isn't a holiday camp!"

"Well then, _Colonel_, why don't you stop standing around wasting time, and let us through so we can clear up this mess?" Bridger snapped. They didn't have time for petty disagreements. He was well aware Lucas wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the J.C.C. but they'd bent the rules for the youngster before, and there was no reason not to now.

After a brief standoff, Trent growled and jerked his head in the direction of the J.C.C. As they walked past, Trent spoke quietly to one of his men.

"He doesn't go anywhere without a guard – I want him watched at all times."

***

Faint but persistent gun pops were still being heard from the compound. Knowing there were men engaged in there, even in defence, made waiting for orders all the more frustrating. Ortiz and Piccolo hovered around the entrance to the J.C.C. where Ford and Brody were in discussions with Trent on how best to proceed. Hostage negotiation was the first line of action. After that, diplomacy would probably go right out the window. Other sailors from the seaQuest, the _California_ and the newly arrived _Mississippi_ were also present, mingling tensely with soldiers under the command of the Colonel's on base. One soldier sidled up to Ortiz and nodded towards the medical tent.

"That your girl?" he said.

Ortiz gave him a sidelong glance, too caught off guard to hide the truth, though still giving it a good attempt anyway.

"Who?" he asked casually. He didn't have the patience for army jokes about the close quarters submariners had to endure on tour, and the close relations that usually resulted.

The soldier laughed, "The one you've been ogglin' at for the past ten minutes…though I wouldn't blame you."

Ortiz shot him a glower, confirming his suspicions.

"Hey, don't sweat it. See this?" he said, pulling a chain out from under his t-shirt. On it was a ring – quite clearly a wedding band. "She's a Lieutenant in the National Guard," he smiled, setting Ortiz at ease. As silence fell between them once more, the soldier held out his hand. "Sergeant Owens," he said.

Ortiz reached out and shook Owens hand firmly. "Chief Ortiz."

"It's crazy, huh?" Owens said nonchalantly. Noticing the grim expression Ortiz was wearing, he spoke honestly. "For what it's worth, I'm glad we're all in this together."

Ortiz looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, me too."

***

"This is excellent," General Anderson remarked as he and Trent looked over the satellite images of the compound. Bridger looked at Lucas with a subtle hint of pride, while Trent watched over them all, oozing discomfort. They now had a clear idea of where most of the men were located. As expected there appeared to be concentrations round the main entrance and the eastern access roads, but the most-dense build-up was round the safe house. There was less than an hour to either negotiate the release of the delegates, or get them out by force. Negotiators had been working since the beginning of the siege two hours previously, to no avail. As the satellite images were already half an hour old, time was of the essence. Colonel Trent had _insisted_ they focus efforts solely on securing the safe house and releasing the access roads, but General Anderson had over-ruled him, much to his disgust, and ordered an extra two teams to track down the missing soldiers from the initial strike.

"It looks as though this route is a dead-end," Trent commented, referring to the hostage negotiators. "So we're going in," he said sternly, and a little reluctantly.

An elite 1500 men unit had been assembled, comprising of Navy SEALS, members of the Marine Corps, Delta Force, Task Force Rangers, and experienced members of the regular army and navy. Henderson had kitted out and was now standing with Ford, Piccolo, Brody and Ortiz, listening as Trent briefed them and the troops. Bridger, O'Neill and Lucas stood at the back, listening also.

"Six teams, four of 200, two of 350. These are big numbers so you better be sure what you're doing out there. Commander Ford and Colonel Callison will lead the two larger teams and secure the safe house and eastern access roads. Lieutenant Colonel's Fields, Briggs, Chalk and Hayes of Delta will lead the other four. Here's how you're divided up. Listen up and report to your team leader," Trent reeled off the list of men. Much to Bridger's dismay, his men were being separated. Brody was with Henderson and Ortiz under the command of Colonel Callison and Ford was taking Piccolo. The only blessing was that Colonel Trent wasn't leading any of the teams himself. The more Bridger saw of the man, the more he felt uneasy around him. After the mission briefings, Brody and Ford walked over to Bridger.

"Take this with you," he told them.

Lucas handed Brody a black cylindrical object. He pushed a button and sharp prongs protruded from one end. He turned it over in his hands.

"It's a probe. Place it in the ground near the safe house and I should be able to detect radio transmissions, measure the chemical content of the air, maybe even pick up dialogue," Lucas explained.

Brody retracted the prongs and placed the probe in one of his vest pockets. He looked awkwardly at the Captain.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Bridger asked.

"Uh, Sir, I think we should be taking Beth in with us," Brody said.

Bridger shook his head, "That's not an option I'm willing to discuss."

"Sir," Ford broke in, "she knew where those explosives were _and_ how to avoid them. We could use that kind of insight."

"This coming from the man who wanted her off the boat when she first arrived?" Bridger raised his eyebrows, while Brody shot Ford an ugly glare. They all looked over to the medical tent where Beth continued to work with Kristin and Wendy. "No, I'm not discussing this any further," he said finally. Ford and Brody grimaced. Henderson, Ortiz and Piccolo joined them.

"Everyone's ready to move out, Lieutenant," Ortiz told him.

"Alright," he said.

Bridger looked at them all appraisingly. "Get it done and come home safely."

"Yeah, come home safe," Lucas agreed.

"Count on it, Sir," Piccolo chirped. Ortiz and O'Neill clapped hands and they moved out to join the troops.

***

Beth watched the men leave the staging area and split into their teams. She steeled her mind against the onslaught of fear and apprehension in their thoughts, and looked for three familiar figures in the team heading for the safe house. When that head of dark hair turned and those eyes caught her own, she subconsciously began moving towards them. Only when a hand firmly caught her elbow did she come back to herself. She looked round, shocked, to find Captain Bridger standing beside her, grasping her arm. She shook him off.

"That's not your place," he told her.

"Then where exactly is my place, Captain?" she snapped defiantly and stormed back into the medical tent.

"Beth!" Lucas shouted after her.

Bridger turned to him, "Did I do the right thing?"

"I don't know, Captain," Lucas admitted.

Bridger sighed and watched as the backs of his men disappeared in both directions. He jumped as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"You never were a very good backseat driver," Kristin observed.

He reached up and took her hand in his own. Much as he hated to admit it, her touch brought much needed comfort. "Something told me you'd be here," he remarked.

Having just been reunited, Kristin and Lucas greeted each other with restraint, and they all watched the scene with a mixture of disbelief and sadness.

"Why is it that our species seems determined to set itself on the path to self-destruction?" Bridger asked, rhetorically.

"Not even our alien friends knew the answer to that one," Lucas said.

Bridger snapped his head round to the boy. "What do you mean?" he barked.

Lucas gulped, suddenly remembering that no one else could actually recall the two days the aliens had spent on earth. "Nothing," he choked. Bridger frowned.

"What are their chances?" Kristin asked bluntly.

"1500 against 3000 isn't very good odds," Lucas remarked.

"It's better than no odds at all," Kristin added. "They have their job, we have ours. Let's get on with it shall we?" she looked at them both.

"Agreed. Let's get that probe up and running," he said to Lucas. He gave Kristin's hand one final squeeze before leading him and Lucas away to the J.C.C. Kristin walked back into the tent to find Beth. She found her angrily sorting through a supply box, banging the contents onto the table.

"Lost something?" Kristin asked, amused.

"I can't find the gauze," Beth said through gritted teeth. Kristin bent down and picked up the roll of material lying at Beth's feet. She held it up. Beth gave her an annoyed look and snatched it out of her hands. She walked over to a patient with a laceration to the left arm and began to bind the wound. Kristin observed, handing over the scissors when needed.

"Calm down. You're not doing anyone any favours," Kristin told her.

"I need to blow off some steam."

"Then go and do it somewhere other than by my patients bedside."

Beth snapped her head round to face her. "Where do you suggest I go Doctor?!?"

"I couldn't care less, as long as it's nowhere within earshot," Kristin took the gauze and finished dressing the wound.

"You couldn't care less," Beth mocked, "now there's a surprise!! How about I go run in there and get myself killed instead of everybody else? How would that work for you? HOW WOULD THAT WORK FOR YOU DOCTOR?" she screamed.

Kristin calmly cut the last piece of gauze and bound it with surgical tape. "There. Keep it dry and see the physician in three days to get it re-dressed," she told the soldier. She then turned to Beth with a fed up expression, "Feel better?"

Beth was caught off guard. "YES!" she snapped.

"Good, then let's restock the surgical kits," Kristin quipped.

***

"They've only got 30 minutes," O'Neill commented. He, Lucas, Bridger, Trent and General Anderson sat in front of computers and radio equipment, listening to the transmissions from the teams. So far only two of the six teams had been successful in gaining control of their targets. Ford had secured the access roads, closing the terrorists' last escape route. The entrance to the main building was also under friendly control. Callison and his team however, were finding the safe house a difficult challenge. The safe house was a mansion-like building, surrounded by a high perimeter fence and obscured from view by dense thickets of shrubs. They were now down to 100 men, having left teams behind to keep the cleared areas secure, and had lost 8 men to a pressure mine.

Callison and Brody looked over the satellite images of the house on a hand-held computer, while they crouched in the shrubs.

"As far as I can tell, there are fewer men stationed on this corner of the building. They were relying on their scouts, but since they aren't an issue anymore…" Callison looked to the 35 unconscious men in the undergrowth a few feet away, "…we should be able to approach without much resistance."

"There's a lot of interference," Ortiz commented. "But there appear to be electronics located here…and here," he said as he pointed at the maps, "probably defences they've rigged up."

"Mr Brody, check for an update on the IR satellites," Callison ordered.

Brody clicked his PAL into operation. "Lucas, any luck with the IR satellite?"

"I only got a brief picture. Most of the men are in the conference room with the delegates. Other than that, the most resistance you're going to get is outside the house and in the main entrance. There looks to be about 500 of them in all," Lucas said.

"Great, thanks," Brody signed off.

Callison looked at the remaining men around him. He'd divided them into a defensive and offensive team, 25 and 75 respectively. "Alpha team with me, Bravo team keep this exit secure. Once we clear the bushes, maintain complete silence until my signal. No communication whatsoever – verbal or radio, understood?" Everyone nodded.

Brody handed Ortiz the probe, "Stick this in the ground and activate it somewhere on the way." He clapped Henderson on the shoulder, "Keep the way clear."

"I will," she said.

"Alright, move out," Callison ordered. He, Brody and Ortiz exited the shrubs with the men and made their way towards the house, leaving Henderson and others to guard their escape. She had already disabled 3 devices on the way to the safe house and shown Ortiz how to disarm them. She felt conflicted at being left behind at this crucial moment, but she understood Brody's reasoning. They were already outnumbered; they needed a show of strength in order to have any chance at overwhelming them, and she was a chip in the armour.

***

Lieutenant Colonel Hayes was no stranger to clearing buildings and coping with the varied sights they found inside, but even this was almost too much for him. On foreign soil there was a certain detachment from the bodies of women and children they so often discovered, raped and mutilated, even burned. But here on their own base, and to their own brothers in arms; this was another matter entirely. His PAL crashed to the ground as he fumbled with his vest, trying to contact the J.C.C.

"Uniform Six to Juliet Charlie Charlie, come in," he said.

"Receiving, go ahead," O'Neill answered.

"We have visual confirmation that all 376 men sent to Central OPS are alive, but incapacitated."

Trent snatched the headset angrily from O'Neill to speak to Hayes. "What do you mean incapacitated?"

"Gas, Sir, by the looks of it, for the ones on the inside of the building anyway. Those outside are out for the count too, but it looks like pulse rifles got 'em."

Trent grimaced as Bridger, Lucas and O'Neill gazed at each other, speechless. Lieutenant Colonel Fields had just confirmed the same thing about the 200 men sent to investigate the storage facility.

"Captain, that means…" Lucas began.

"I know," Bridger cut him off. They all knew what it meant; it didn't need to be said out loud. It meant that those mercenaries either had access to the base before the strike, or…the other option didn't bear thinking about.

"Help those men and keep that area secure," Trent ordered, seemingly unperturbed by the fate of his men.

"Yes, Sir," Hayes signed off.

***

Ortiz quickly shoved the probe into the ground and turned it on. He leaped back against the wall where he and the others were flattened out. They'd encountered little resistance, which did little to encourage Callison. He just wondered where the rest were all hiding. He signalled to Brody to go one way with half the men, while he and the rest would go the opposite direction.

They moved silently against the wall, crouching under the windows. Just before the back entrance, Brody held up his hand indicating a full stop. He looked down at the small metal object in the wall recess. He waved Ortiz forward to examine it.

'_Laser beam_' Ortiz signed. Brody nodded and signalled his men into formation. He and Ortiz drew back. Carefully, he picked up a small stone and threw it into the path of the beam. A larger than expected explosion followed, drawing at least 80 men out of the building to investigate. Caught unawares, they were easily over-powered and disarmed. Leaving nothing to chance, Brody ordered them all to be stunned. They proceeded into the house and met Callison at the foot of the stairwell.

Callison nodded in the direction of a panel in the wall. Ortiz walked over, pulled open the panel and disabled the building security. As soon as the lights fell, footsteps pounded from the upper levels down towards them. As the first pulse blasts flew past their heads, Callison gave the order.

"Fire at will!"

***

"The probe is online, Captain," Lucas announced as he and O'Neill typed frantically at their computers.

"…Callison of the UEO. We have the building surrounded…" Callison's voice fuzzed in and out.

"There, try that," O'Neill told Lucas. Lucas typed quickly and isolated the dialogue coming from the safe house.

"On my order." They heard Callison say.

Brody and Ortiz stood either side of the door leading to the conference room, rifles raised, ready to strike. Other men were standing nearby with cans of CS gas.

Callison nodded, signalling Brody and Ortiz to kick the door open. They both nodded at each other and pulled back to stand in front of the door.

Despite knowing what was behind the door, the sight of the most influential men in the world being held against their will was still a harrowing one. All twenty delegates had an armed mercenary holding a weapon to their heads. Further mercenaries were brandishing rifles at wounded soldiers, who were seated around the walls of the room. Callison and his men raised their rifles in armed stand-off, but were unable to make any advances – the mercenaries still held all the cards.

"Your move Colonel."

Lucas, Bridger, O'Neill and General Anderson all looked at each other as they recognised the man's voice; Samson.

"None of us here are prepared to surrender. You made enough false promises last time; we have no patience for your lies anymore."

Brody was desperate to engage Samson in conversation. "With your permission, Sir?" he asked Callison.

"Granted," Callison said, knowing Brody had prior experience with the man.

"Last time was an accident, it wasn't anyone's fault. I'm sorry for what happened to your son, but it doesn't mean you have to destroy democracy for the rest of us."

Samson's eyes flared with hatred. "Don't you bring my _son_ into this," he raised his weapon and took aim, "I've had enough of your mind games!!!" he shouted, shaking the pistol wildly in the air.

His aggression spooked one of Callison's men, who accidentally fired, killing one of the mercenaries instantly, and causing the rest of them to unleash a barrage of pulse blasts on the soldiers. Brody, Ortiz and Callison retreated back behind the doors for cover while Callison called for a ceasefire.

Samson raised his hand, indicating his men to stop firing. "You see? They're not interested in talking. We're not even real people to them, just like we're not real people to our governments; we're expendable."

"So are we," retorted Brody. "Do you see any of our Generals and Admirals fighting in here?"

Samson sniggered. "Perhaps then, we have common ground on something at least," he said.

Callison motioned for his men to move forward, and then entered the room with them, his weapon aimed, at a standoff once more. Samson and Callison glared at each other, both unsure of what the other would do next. It was Callison who received the biggest shock, as Samson gave the order for his men to lower their weapons.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Unless this declaration is signed, none of us are going to get out of here alive," he said, defiantly.

"We have control of this building, and your other units have been disabled," Callison said.

"That was only a matter of time," Samson quipped.

"Then what was the point?" Brody asked.

Samson simply laughed. "You think we came here without a plan B?" He looked to the mercenaries behind him and nodded. They proceeded to open the set of double doors at the far end of the room, leading into another long chamber; darkly lit with a large table in the centre. What lay on that table made Callison and his men blanch, and made Samson snigger as he saw the realisation on their faces.

"It was you!" Brody exclaimed. "That's what you needed the data for."

"You can see now that you don't have much choice." Samson moved round the table of delegates and suddenly thrust his rifle into the neck of the President. "But, I only really want one signature. The others would have had a bigger impact, but I will settle for the signature of the Commander in Chief. Perhaps the President would be able to decide better if he were by himself? Yes, I think so. The rest of you can go. You have 90 seconds to leave of your own free will before we open fire and give you no choice," Samson said calmly.

"What?" Lucas gasped, still listening in on the radio. "He's a lunatic!"

"He's not a lunatic, Lucas. He's desperate," O'Neill commented.

Callison froze for a few seconds, indecision paralysing his body and mind. He looked into the eyes of one of the delegates and came back to himself.

"Everybody move, get up, move, move!" he shouted to the delegates. Brody and the other men directed them down the stairs.

***

Still hidden in the shrubs, Henderson was slightly taken aback at the sudden appearance of all the delegates. Brody and most of the team were pushing them in their direction. She made the decision to break cover to help keep the stream of confused men flowing in the right direction.

"Keep going," she said to McGath as he ran past.

"Where's Callison?" she asked Brody as he and the last men reached the shrubs. They both turned to see Callison run full pelt out of the house and head in their direction.

"They wouldn't let him go," he panted.

"Who?" Henderson asked.

"The President."

She barely had time to register the implications of this before explosions flew in every direction. They fell to the ground, Brody and Ortiz sheltering Henderson. As soon as they could, they picked themselves up and ran to catch the fleeing hostages.

***

"They're calling all their men to the safe house," O'Neill relayed the messages he was receiving from the probe.

Colonel Trent contacted all the team leaders, "All teams converge on sector ten, I repeat, all teams converge on sector ten, engage with full force," he commanded.

"Lucas, where are Brody and the hostages?" Bridger asked.

"I don't know, I'm having trouble picking them up," he answered.

"Captain!!!" a faint voice called from their right. They all turned to see two figures struggling with a perimeter guard. He was determined not to let them past, much to their frustration.

"Let them through!" Bridger yelled and waved Ben and Katie towards him.

"Ben!" Lucas yelled and ran towards his old friend.

"Lucas!" Ben shouted back. The two met in the middle and greeted each other in a manly embrace.

"I've missed you," Lucas croaked, allowing his fear to show for a split second in front of the friend he knew would accept it.

"I've missed you, too kid," Ben smiled and gave his cheek a quick pat. To Lucas, the subtext was clear; '_Chin up, kid, we're not going to let anything happen_,' and it gave him the courage he needed to carry on.

"Hi, Lucas," Katie walked forward, also quickly embracing him in greeting.

"What's the latest?" Ben asked.

"Callison has the delegates out of the safe house, but they're being pursued. We don't know where they are exactly," O'Neill told them.

"What's the problem?" Katie asked.

"There's too much interference, I can't isolate their radio signals," Lucas groaned.

"Here let me try," Katie barged through and leaned over Lucas' shoulder to work on receiving the signal.

"Something like this was bound to happen eventually," Ben said to Tim, "It's been brewing under the surface for months. How those people have been able to live for so long under so many human rights violations is beyond me."

Tim nodded in agreement, "Unfortunately it also seems to be beyond the UEO." He paused and looked over at Lucas and Katie working together. "It's nice to have you both back with us again. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"Are you kidding? Danger's what we do best," Ben joked.

Slowly, Katie managed to clear the fuzz into several voices talking over each other, then to one conversation.

"Ford!" Brody yelled.

"We're keeping the south road clear back to the medical tent, keep coming to us," Ford shouted back.

"They're everywhere!" Ortiz exclaimed, "Watch out!"

His warning was followed by sounds of gunfire. The noises were getting closer. They no longer needed to listen to the probe to make out the explosions.

"What are the terrorists saying?" Trent asked, agitated.

The conversations all merged into one again, as Katie tried to isolate the right one.

"…through their backs…" was all they managed to pick-up before the signal went dead. Both Lucas and Katie tried desperately to get it back.

"What happened?" Bridger asked.

"We lost the signal, Sir," O'Neill said, downbeat. All the time, the sound of battle grew nearer.

"Are we safe here?" Ben asked. They all looked to Trent. He had a worryingly satisfied look on his face.

***

Beth, Kristin and Wendy all stopped and looked in the direction of the compound. Men's shouts and gunfire were getting closer every minute.

"What's happening?" Dagwood asked, nervous.

"I don't know, perhaps we should…" Kristin cut off as Beth and Wendy suddenly both gasped simultaneously and stumbled backwards. They looked at each other with horror in their eyes and set off full pelt towards the J.C.C. Kristin wasted no time in running after them, closely followed by Dagwood.

Everyone looked up as they approached. General Anderson made to protest but Beth burst in before he could react.

"Where's Henderson?" she asked, barely out of breath as she arrived first. A few moments later, Wendy, Kristin and Dagwood arrived.

"What is going on?" Kristin asked angrily.

"That's what I'd like to know," Bridger snapped.

"_Where's Henderson?_" Beth repeated sternly.

"Why?" he quipped defensively.

"Captain, trust her," Wendy added. She locked eyes with him for a moment before he turned to O'Neill and told him to get in touch with Callison. There was no reply on his PAL. Neither Ford, Brody or Ortiz answered either. Beth's throat tightened.

***

Henderson groaned and writhed on the ground, her hand pressed firmly to her belly.

"Henderson!!" Brody yelled. He turned, firing wildly and ran to where she'd fallen. He pulled her hand away, releasing a gush of crimson. "Ah, jeez," he sighed. He pushed down firmly on the wound as Ortiz arrived.

"How bad is she?" he asked. Brody simply looked at him, his face grim.

"_Jim?_" Henderson wheezed, "What is it? How am I?"

"You're gonna be fine. Ford is right around that corner," Brody reassured.

"How are we gonna move her?" Ortiz asked.

Brody looked around. There was no way to move her, other than for one of them to carry her. But with so much blood loss, being tossed around would do more damage. Henderson realised the meaning behind his silence, "Get them out…leave…just go!" she panted and let out a pained moan.

"No chance. I don't leave anyone behind. Least of all the prettiest woman on the crew," Brody teased.

"I don't know what…Miguel would say…bout that," she smiled thinly.

Ortiz pressed his hand to her cheek and looked in her eyes, "Joint prettiest," he said. He flinched as a brief thought of Beth slipped through his barriers. Immediately his heart rate soared and adrenaline pumped. Only a few hours ago he was lying with her in his arms, his body curled against hers. His hand went to the solid round shape of the compass in his pocket. He had to make it out of this.

Henderson laughed at his comment, before doubling over in pain. Brody made a rapid decision. He instructed Ortiz to keep his hand pressed firmly over the wound and scooped her up in his arms. Under cover fire from the team they ran towards the escape path Ford and Piccolo were keeping free.

***

Bridger rounded on Wendy and demanded answers.

"I felt…something. I'm not sure what it was, but I know it had something to do with Henderson," Wendy explained. He turned to Beth but before he could speak she held out her arm and silenced him. Clearly alarmed, she flicked her gaze between Trent and the soldiers on guard.

"What is it?" Katie asked.

"Through our backs," Beth said quietly. She shot out her arm and they all fell sprawling to the safety of the ground. She barely had time to duck as Trent pulled out his pulse rifle and aimed at General Anderson. Beth strode forcefully between them and held out her hand, deflecting the shots. Trent gave the order for the surrounding soldiers to open fire on the group and the mass of pulse shots suspended before Beth gathered into a glowing haze. Infuriated, she threw the energy back at them, directing it towards the soldiers and sending them, stunned, to the ground. Before Trent could react, she pulled a spare rifle into her out-stretched hand and aimed directly at his head. One of his soldiers, still half-conscious, grabbed his pistol and aimed roughly at her, grazing her arm. She stood stock-still, pulled another pulse rifle into her spare hand, took aim, and stunned the soldier. She and Trent stood, weapons aimed at each other, staring in a furious standoff, while friendly soldiers, having heard the pulse blasts, ran in to secure the area.

"Impressive," Trent smiled. "Is this your new project, General?" he asked, referring to Beth.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked. They looked back at her with wide eyes. "What do I do with him, Captain?"

Bridger helped everyone to their feet. "That's not my call," he said and looked to a shocked General Anderson. "General?"

Anderson glared at Trent, seething at his betrayal. "This was your doing? You let them in here? _You_ released that virus? _You _sent those men to those buildings? Your own men?!?" he fumed.

At that moment, Lucas suddenly made sense of it all. The only way the mercenaries had been able to even get a foothold on the compound was by having an inside man. And being relatively high in the chain of command, Trent would have been able to walk about the base unhindered, preparing for the raid without raising any suspicion. The only question was why.

Trent stood silent, giving nothing away.

"Drop your weapon, soldier!" Anderson said angrily.

When he didn't respond, Beth dropped the spare pulse rifle and used her hand to force Trent's rifle far across the grass.

"Grab him," Anderson ordered. "Make him secure, I'll deal with him later."

Friendly soldiers moved in and threw him to his knees, cuffing him.

"She died because of you!!!! She's dead!!!!" Trent screamed as he was led away out of sight.

Kristin grasped Bridger by the arm in shock.

"What in gods name is going on?" Ben exclaimed. Beth simply glared at him.

"I'll expect an explanation on that later, Captain," Anderson barked, clearly referring to Beth. "But for now I need the signal back on that probe. Can you do that, Mr Wolenczak?" he asked.

Katie was aghast at Bridger's dismissal of Beth's actions. "Are you just going to ignore this? What the hell was that?"

Bridger shot her a tired, exasperated glance and repeated the Generals' question to O'Neill.

"We can try," O'Neill answered. Lucas duplicated Katie's technique and tried to pick up something.

Dagwood ripped off a piece of his uniform and placed it over the seeping gash in Beth's arm. She flinched but the pressure over the wound was reassuring. She placed her own hand over Dagwood's in thanks.

Lucas turned up the volume on the computer. He'd isolated transmissions from the safe house.

"…sorry, Mr President, we did make our intentions clear. Since the deadline has now passed we shall have to employ our alternative method of persuasion. I wonder; is the rest of the world aware of the recent incident at the Rodman Naval Base?"

Anderson and the seaQuest crewmembers blanched.

"Scan for radiation, Mr Wolenczak," Anderson ordered.

"I'm already on it," Lucas concentrated.

"Radiation? Nathan what's all this about?" Kristin quizzed.

Ben and Katie also anxiously probed for information.

"Enough!" he snapped, "Lucas?"

Lucas looked up at him, worried. "Levels are higher than background, Captain."

Anderson sighed and ran his hand over his face. "How did this get so out of hand, Captain?" he asked, receiving a blank look from Bridger. "Try Callison again," he told O'Neill.

"Aye, Sir," O'Neill picked up his PAL and attempted to contact the Lieutenant. "Sir, the PAL is receiving, but I'm not getting any transmissions," he passed the PAL over to the Captain.

"At least we might be able to get a message across," Anderson said, "Colonel? Listen to me, get your men out of there. Pull everyone back; get them all out, get all the teams out!!!" Anderson signed off and turned to the concerned faces around him.

"Your men deserve answers, Nathan," he told him, giving Bridger permission to explain the situation.

How in the world was he meant to tell them this? "Two days ago a nuclear missile was stolen from Rodman. These mercenaries must have it," he stated.

Lucas was aghast as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. That was what Samson and his men were doing at the data processing centre in the Solomon's – searching for information on facilities storing nuclear warheads. And who must have directed them there? None other than Colonel Trent. This was far more planned out than he imagined. His thoughts were interrupted by a shout from the direction of the medical tent.

"General!!" the Colonel called. The teams were beginning to return through the perimeter. Everyone ran in that direction. Lucas grabbed his hand-held computer before running after them.

***

Kristin and Wendy were straight in among the returning men, sorting through the casualties, of which there were many. Dagwood did his best to ferry people to the medical tent. Beth, Katie, Tim and Ben helped out as best they could, while Bridger and Lucas waited anxiously for their friends' faces to appear among the stream of fleeing men. The first to appear was Piccolo, working with the rest of Ford's team to bring in the delegates. Ford was nowhere to be seen.

"Piccolo!" Bridger called him over, along with McGath and Noyce.

"Sir," Piccolo panted. Lucas clapped his hand and embraced him briefly.

"Good work, Seaman," Bridger smiled as he received the two rather dishevelled looking UEO officials.

"Nathan," McGath began, "they still have the President."

Bridger nodded, "We know. We know about the warhead from Rodman too."

McGath and Noyce both nodded and regarded him with a grave silence.

Bridger turned to Piccolo, "Where's the Commander?"

"With Henderson Sir, she's hit," he explained.

Lucas' heart faltered. His legs began to carry him away before he even realised it.

***

The crew in the medical tent were startled by the pained scream.

"LONNIE!!!" Lucas bellowed as he ran towards where Brody, Ortiz and Ford had just come into view. They were carrying Henderson on a makeshift stretcher.

"Oh my god, Lonnie!" Tim exclaimed. He, Ben and Kristin burst out of the tent to meet them, while Beth and Katie prepared a space for her. Lucas ran alongside the men. Henderson was deathly pale. Her eyes were closed and she lay limp and still.

"Is she…?" he asked.

"She's still there Lucas, she's going to make it!" Ortiz said firmly.

"Miguel!" Tim shouted as he and Kristin reached them. He and Ben took a section of the stretcher and helped carry the deadweight.

Beth was looking through the surgical kits, trying to anticipate what they'd need when she felt a presence at her back. She turned to see Piccolo. He put a hand on her shoulder and they embraced. He was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. She looked no better. "How bad is it?" she asked.

"Not good," he replied, shaking his head. His voice croaked and he held her tighter.

"Tony?" came a concerned voice behind them.

"Hey Dag!" Tony greeted. Dagwood pulled his friend into a strong hug. They turned to see their friends enter the tent.

"Alright, very carefully let's take her in here," Kristin directed. She guided them to the space where everyone waited. "Slowly, gently, set her down, that's it. Let's have a look. Doctor Smith?" Wendy was waiting to assist, along with Beth and a surgeon.

"Move back please, would everyone stand clear please?" Doctor Shilton barked, directing his statement particularly towards Brody, Ford and Ortiz. The three men backed away and stood watching helplessly.

Beth held Lonnie's hand firmly while gently stroking her hair. She had to look away as Shilton pulled back the improvised bandage covering the wound.

"What did this?" Shilton asked.

"Pulse rifle," Brody stuttered.

"How much blood has she lost?" Shilton turned to look at the men. They were all bloodstained from carrying her. The looks on their faces said it all; she'd lost too much already.

"I'm going to need three units of O negative," Shilton barked. Beth ran to the back of the tent where the refrigerated blood packs were. Miguel walked after her, between the beds of wounded men. He met her halfway as she returned and pulled her eagerly into his arms. He held her tightly and sighed with relief to feel her heart thumping against his chest. She gripped her arms round him but pulled away anxiously and he followed her back down the tent as she carried the blood packs. Kristin took them from her and hooked them up. Miguel watched as Beth reached for the iodine and a swab and handed them to Wendy, then he left them and rejoined the others.

Bridger walked over to greet his men.

"How are the delegates?" Brody asked him.

"Safe, but you know that's no longer our biggest problem," he said gravely.

"Oh?" Ford commented.

Bridger paused, steeling himself to break the news to his XO. "They're responsible for the raid on Rodman. They have the warhead," he said.

"How do you know?" Ford asked, aghast.

"Because we saw it," Brody said, causing adrenaline to surge through Ford's veins. He blinked hard, trying to remain focused.

"I don't get it, what are they trying to do?" Piccolo exclaimed.

Admiral Noyce stepped forward. "They failed to reorganise the UEO so now they're going to try a different approach…"

"…They're going to destroy it. Or at least the most important figures behind it," McGath finished.

"We're screwed aren't we?" Ben asked nervously as Katie stood rigid at his side. His question was met with stony faces. "A simple yes would do," he snipped.

Katie felt for Ben's hand and gripped the tips of his fingers.

"Can't we disarm it?" Brody asked desperately.

"I've already sent in a group of explosive ordnance disposal technicians," Anderson explained. "Hayes led them in five minutes ago, with a chalk of Rangers."

"Though god knows how far they'll get," McGath sighed.

Brody paced back and forth awkwardly, running his hands through his hair, "This is nuts!" he exclaimed. All they could do was wait for the bomb technicians to check in.

They turned to the medical tent, to where Lonnie continued struggling for life.

***

Shilton scanned the rent in Lonnie's abdomen, "The wound isn't deep, no major organs are hit; it's blood loss that's the problem. They've ruptured her hepatic artery."

"So…what? What do we do?" Beth asked anxiously.

Shilton hesitated. "I'm going to have to open her up and stem the bleeding. Dose her up with Lidocaine." Wendy grabbed a hypodermic and squeezed the dose into the tube in Lonnie's arm. She then swabbed the area around the wound with iodine, while Kristin helped Shilton into a gown and mask. Beth gripped Lonnie's hand and looked away as he extended the wound.

"I need a light and suction," Shilton said. Kristin stood by him and shone a light into the wound with one hand and used the other to mop up excess blood with the suction tube. "I can see the tear," he said hopefully.

Beth felt Lonnie's wrist – the slow thud, thud of her pulse was absent. "She hasn't got a pulse!" she exclaimed. Kristin and Shilton leaped into action and started CPR, as Beth remained holding Lonnie's hand tightly, willing her back to life.

"Lonnie!!" she screamed at her best friend. Memories flashed before her eyes – late night girly chats under the duvet together, driving the men out of the lounge to watch chick flicks, skipping round the shops together on shore leave, confiding in each other about their fears and hopes for life. She held Lonnie's hand to her cheek, her tears spilling over her fingers and silently willed her friend to hold on.

The crew gathered round Lonnie as the doctors continued to work. Tim was visibly suffering. Jonathan laid a hand on his shoulder.

It was the faint thud, thud that drove Beth back to her senses. She hadn't even realised she'd closed her eyes. The thudding pulse grew stronger and Lonnie's chest heaved as she took a breath.

Kristin took hold of Lonnie's other wrist. "She's got a weak pulse."

Shilton looked to the wound and went straight back to work. He plunged his hands into her, calling for all kinds of equipment and stopping periodically so Kristin could drain blood from the area. The three bags of blood were almost empty. He sent Beth for four more. She and Kristin hooked them up. On the second bag he gave an almighty grunt and pulled his hands from the wound.

"The bleeding's stopped," he stammered. "As long as infection doesn't set in she should make it," he grinned fiercely. Jonathan, Miguel, Jim, Tony and Tim clapped each other's hands and laughed happily. Ben walked over to Jim and shook his hand.

"Thanks," Jim said. Ben slapped his back and smiled, then shook the other men's hands in turn. Katie walked forward and placed her hands on Beth's shoulders, receiving a grateful embrace in return. Lucas turned to Nathan and threw his arms around him. Astonished, but pleased, he embraced the boy back. Feeling left out, Dagwood walked over and encircled his arms around them both.

Kristin cleared her throat. "We still have a lot to do here. Beth, Katie - perhaps you could take the men and clean up their wounds," she suggested. Grateful for something to do, Beth and Katie motioned the four battle-weary men further into the medical tent.

***

Katie smiled to herself, slightly amused that the stern Commander was flinching beneath her fingers as she applied disinfectant to the cuts on his head and arms.

"Do you play nursemaid for your husband too?" Jonathan joked. "Ouch!" he flinched as Katie applied an unnecessary amount of force.

"Stop whining, you're making me nervous," Tony commented from beside him.

"He's not my husband," Katie said sternly. "And you miss him really," she teased.

"Who? Krieg? I get enough trouble from this guy," Jonathan motioned over to Tony. "What I miss is not having a cool head to turn to," he looked up at her.

"I've missed you too, Jonathan," she smiled, "Now sit still, this is going to burn," she warned. Tony looked away as Jonathan groaned again.

Miguel and Jim smiled at the noise from further down the medical tent. Beth was cleaning a gash in Miguel's arm. He watched her. She'd barely spoken a word. Her hair was plastered to the side of her blood, dirt, tear and sweat-stained face. She sniffed and rubbed her nose on her sleeve. She picked up a pack of steri-strips and began to apply them over the wound, sealing it shut. Miguel waited for her to finish then pulled her round to stand in front of where he was seated. He cupped her cheek with his hand and pulled her head down to him so their foreheads leant against each other. She rested her hands gently on his shoulders and shuddered in a sob.

"I'm sick of losing people," she sighed. He pulled her away and forced her to look at him. He rubbed her arms in reassurance and allowed her to move onto Jim. He'd caught his leg on once of the wire fences.

"You're gonna need a tetanus shot," she told him.

"Great," was Jim's response. He groaned slightly as the nurse gave him the shot then moved away so Beth could clean the wound. She changed her gloves and began to sponge gently, clearing away the dirt.

"We're in trouble aren't we?" she asked, her voice croaked from crying.

"Looks that way," Jim said coldly.

She sniffed again as a tear rolled uncontrollably down her cheek. "I'm really glad you guys are ok," she said.

Katie, Jonathan and Tony moved to stand by them as Beth applied the last of the steri-strips to Jim's leg. She peeled off her gloves and mopped her hair back from her face. "You're done," she told him. Jim stood up and carefully stretched his leg to test the pain. It was bearable.

Katie noticed the bloodied rag tied around Beth's arm. "Let me look at that," she said and forced her to sit down.

Beth grimaced as Katie pulled away the blood soaked rag. As she sponged the wound, Katie tentatively spoke, "So, are you going to tell me what that was back there? Was that some kind of deflector shield, or, what?" Her patient stared frustratingly into space. Katie set down the sponge. "Pass me those would you?" she asked Miguel, referring to the box of steri-strips. He stood close to Beth, his hand rubbing her back soothingly.

A small voice spoke, "I'm a G.E.L.F." she looked up, directly into Katie's eyes. "I'm a B.E.T.H. A Bio-Engineered Telekinetic Human," she said defiantly.

Katie breathed a laugh, and resumed sealing the wound. "I'm not an idiot, Beth," she said. Beth looked away towards the parkland in the distance and stretched out her hand. The sound of metal creaking caused Katie to look up and freeze at the bewildering sight - a 2000kg HUMVEE hanging in mid air. She watched as it sank slowly to the ground again and turned back to face Beth.

"Nor am I a liar," she said to Katie coldly, and stood up. She turned to find the rest of the crew in front of her; including Ben, Kristin and the UEO officials. Judging by the expressions on their faces, they'd also just witnessed her little display. Miguel, Jim, Tony and Jonathan moved protectively to stand beside her.

"How long have you known about this?" McGath asked Bridger.

"Since we found her close to death in that facility you sent us to three months ago," he quipped.

"You had a duty to report this!" Noyce barked.

"I also had a moral duty to protect this woman from the people who tried to kill her," Bridger said sternly. "This isn't our primary concern," he reminded his superiors.

"How's Henderson?" Ford asked Kristin.

"Stable, for now," she answered.

"Admiral!" General Anderson called, "I've got the EODT's on the radio."

Everyone followed Noyce and McGath back out of the medical tent.

"Sir, there's no-one here! They've all left!" came the downbeat voice of Lieutenant Colonel Hayes across the radio.

"What about the explosive device?" Anderson asked

"We've tried everything. It's rigged everywhere. Anything we do will set it off."

The crew refused to look at each other, instead focusing all their attention on the small black box where the sound was coming from.

"How long have we got?" Noyce asked.

"Uh…" the bomb technician fell silent.

"Just spit it out soldier," Anderson barked.

"Five minutes, Sir," he said coldly.

All the men on the crew looked at their watches and set the timers.

"Alright, thank you. You did your best. God speed soldier," Anderson signed off. He looked at the people around him with uncertainty. "I have some calls to make," he said, and walked purposefully away. McGath and Noyce followed suit, quickly walking back to the J.C.C.

Nathan started walking towards a more empty area of grass that looked towards the compound, and gestured for the crew to follow him.

When he stopped and turned, he surveyed them all, sadly.

"If you've anything to say, now's the time to say it," he said solemnly, and was greeted by a chilling silence. '_What was there to say?_' he thought. '_How can you possibly fit all you have to say into five minutes?_'

The men and women around him were looking fearfully at the sky, wondering how it was all going to unfold.

"I for one," Nathan began, "would like to express how fond I am of all of you and tell you how much being onboard the seaQuest has brought me back to life. Especially you two," he looked to Kristin and Lucas. In response, they walked over and stood by him.

"These three years under your command have been the best of my career, Sir," Jonathan saluted. Bridger saluted back and shook his hand.

Ben stepped towards Jonathan, "Commander," he shook his hand, "All I ever wanted was for Katie to look at me with even half as much respect as she has when she looks at you."

"She always did," Jonathan said, "But you were always too busy looking some place else to see it," he quipped. Ben laughed and nodded.

"Captain," Jonathan said simply, and saluted his old crewmate. Katie saluted in return and brought her arm down around the solid body of her man. She silently thanked God that they'd managed to find each other in the end, even through their own stubbornness. Though highly aware of what they were facing, Katie refused to give in to her weakness and stood firm and confident.

Jonathan turned to Jim and held out his hand. Jim batted it away and embraced him.

"See, I told you we could be friends," Jim laughed and turned to face Beth.

"If it weren't for you I wouldn't be half the person I am," she confessed and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "And I was the one that broke your Harrier model," she admitted. Jim laughed, remembering his distress as a child, finding the smashed remains of his model plane on the ground.

"I always knew it was you," he grinned.

"Miguel," Tim began, "you've been my best friend, seen me through thick and thin, thank you." They embraced each other.

"As much as I would like to stay with you all, I can't leave Henderson to face this alone," Jonathan told them all, suddenly, looking over to the tent. He saluted Nathan and turned, solemnly, away from them to be with Lonnie.

Miguel watched with sadness as his friend walked away. He felt for the person standing nearby and pulled her into him, holding her closely.

"You're the best thing that ever walked into my life," she told him.

"What's going to happen?" Dagwood asked, not understanding the situation. Tony moved to stand next to him and placed a hand on his back.

"It'll all be over soon Dag," he said. He noticed Wendy standing alone, with tears streaming down her face and pulled her close to him and Dagwood. Jim and Tim moved to stand by them.

Collectively they turned to look towards the UEO complex – soon to be a fading memory. Nathan put his arms round Lucas and Kristin, who gripped him eagerly.

Ben looked down at Katie. "I always did love you," he breathed.

"I know," she said and leaned into him.

Miguel felt Beth breathing heavily against his chest. The Captain's words echoed in his head; "_If you have anything to say, now's the time to say it…_" He felt as though he should say something, but what? It was too soon for that – but there would never be another time. He looked down at the woman in his arms and, without concern for the present circumstances, kissed her tenderly. He pulled away as he felt wetness on his cheek. He wiped the tears from under her eyes and cemented her image in his mind. He pulled her back against his chest and thought of his family.

Beth saw those memories, and the memories of everyone around her. All the happiness the world has to offer in a million different ways. A blue teddy bear with a yellow nose for Christmas, your parents smiling at you as you sang your heart out in the school play, watching your child take it's first steps, falling in love for the first time, the smell of freshly washed clothes, walking in fresh snow, strawberries and cream in the summer, the thrill of reaching the top of a mountain, discovering a brilliant new band, waking in the morning to a clear blue sky, laughing so hard your belly aches, crying at the end of a good movie, watching humpbacks breach in the Arctic, the lump in your stomach as you take off in a plane, pulling pranks on your superior officers, making someone smile, the first flowers of Spring, running as fast as your legs can carry you for no good reason other than the fact that you _can_, feeling the arms of the person you love encircle you…

Five watches beeped simultaneously. Any second now all those things would mean nothing. They all stood and watched, helpless, praying for a miracle.

Beth gripped Miguel's shirt in her fingers. This was real; this man in his arms was real, the people around her were real, the love she felt for all of them was real, the power she could feel surging through her veins was real…for once in her life she had something worth fighting for, and there was no way in hell she was going to stand by and watch it be destroyed.

***

She pushed Miguel away and bolted as fast as her legs could carry her across the grass towards the complex.

"BETH!!!!" Miguel screamed and ran after her.

"NO!!" Jim made to run but was grabbed by both Tim and Nathan.

"It's too late," Tim barked. Jim struggled with them for a few moments, then his shoulders slumped in submission.

Miguel kept his head up, focused on the retreating back in front of him. He was faster than she was and she knew it. Sensing he was gaining on her, she turned her head and threw back her arm. Miguel was thrown back in the air. He landed hard and skidded along the ground, just short of the others. Jim and Tim ran forward and helped him up. As he got to his feet there was an almighty rumble ahead of them.

Beth ground to a halt in time to see the flash and the wave roll towards her. She held out her hand and braced herself; still not quite sure of what would happen next.

***

Kristin blinked open her eyes and shielded them from the glaring light. She stared opened mouthed at the sight before them. Each member of the group struggled to comprehend what their eyes were seeing. Sense told them they were dead - swallowed whole by a nuclear blast. But their pounding hearts told them otherwise. They all bunched together and looked upwards. A great writhing mass of energy hung in the air, flashing violently, causing the spectators to jump with each pulse.

"My God," Tim breathed.

Lucas moved his eyes downwards to the ground. He squinted against the light and could just make out a small figure, standing with her arm stretched towards the energy mass – the nuclear explosion. He and the others jumped as Wendy gasped and clutched her chest.

"What is it?" Nathan asked.

"Ah!" Wendy struggled, her face contorted in pain. She panted heavily. "Lucas…" she breathed, "I can't hold it, what do I do?" she gasped.

"It's Beth," Lucas realised, "she's channelling Beth."

"Lucas," Wendy repeated.

Lucas looked at the faces around him, panicked. What could he say? Why him? Why did he have to come up with the answer? No – think. A nuclear explosion: massive amounts of energy: too much energy. It would have to be released somewhere. But what about the radiation? He looked at the hand-held computer. It couldn't tell him anything he didn't already know – the situation was hopeless – she couldn't contain that explosion forever. Then a thought occurred to him - what if she could change its molecular structure – change it into an inert substance? Ridiculous – that wasn't possible. But it was the only way any of them were going to live.

"_Lucas_," Wendy spoke again, more urgently.

"Uh, I, uh, I don't…" Luca stuttered. Nathan placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Whatever happens now is not down to you. Just say what you think. I trust you," he said calmly. Lucas looked at him. When he thought about it, he didn't know how he'd ever managed without this man's approval. He licked his lips and turned to Wendy, hoping that Beth could still hear him.

"Release the energy into the atmosphere and alter the molecular structure of the radio-active material. Turn it into something – anything inert," he told her.

Wendy gasped again then stood stock still, "Thank you," she breathed. Beth must have released her from her hold because she fell to the ground and came back to herself. Jim and Miguel helped her stand. Miguel looked at her desperately, hoping she had more to say.

"I'm sorry, Miguel," she said. He turned back to the energy cloud, his heart wrenching in his chest.

Wendy could sense Beth's indecision and lack of belief in her abilities. She was failing. She looked at the people around her – good, strong, honest people. The world needed people like them to lead it forward from a dark event like this. Forcing back tears, she placed one foot in front of the other and quickened her pace into a run. She had to rely on her mind to guide her to Beth through the blinding whiteness emitted from the maelstrom above them. When she found her, she gently slipped her fingers into Beth's free hand and grasped it tightly.

'_Let's do this,_' she told her and braced herself for her final act.

***

The crew didn't even have time to register Wendy's escape before the ground beneath their feet began to rumble and light flashed out at them. They all shielded their eyes and looked away as a vast column of light exploded into the sky. Nathan kept Lucas and Kristin's heads covered to protect them from the light. It burned painfully. Suddenly the light dimmed and they all tentatively looked ahead of them. A further cloud of white heat exploded towards them and they turned their bodies away, expecting the worst. A violent wind buffeted their bodies then all was still. They turned slowly. Normal daylight seemed dull now compared to the brightness of moments before. They all peered into the gloom and could just make out two bodies lying, motionless on the ground ahead of them.


	12. Chapter 12

Miguel immediately made to run forwards but Nathan stopped him.

"No, it's too dangerous," he insisted.

"No," Dagwood moaned and barged between them, running towards the bodies. Nathan was forced to watch helplessly. There was nothing he could do to stop him.

"It's alright Captain," came a voice from behind him. Lucas was looking at his computer in disbelief. "There's no trace of radiation. They did it," he grinned.

The knowledge was slow to register, but everyone sluggishly flooded with relief. The surge of adrenaline flowing through her veins brought a reluctant smile to Katie's face. Ben's eyes opened wide in surprise, as her lips clamped on his own. When she pulled away, her eyes were full of something he hadn't seen in them for a desperately long time – life. Her excitement was short-lived however, as she took in the limp bodies Dagwood was carrying back towards them. Miguel and Jim took Beth's body from him and laid her down on the ground. Miguel took her hand and stroked her cheek.

"Come on Beth, come on!" he repeated. Kristin hurried over to examine her, with Lucas and Nathan close behind. She grabbed her wrist – nothing - then felt under her neck and sighed with relief when she found a faint but regular pulse. Miguel and Jim laughed with joy.

"You stupid idiot!" Jim yelled at her.

Nathan looked over at Tim, who was crouched over Wendy performing CPR with Piccolo. Kristin rushed over to assist. Miguel and Jim watched from Beth's side, while Lucas and Dagwood stood, coldly observing the scene with Ben and Katie. Ben put his arm round Lucas' shoulder. The pounding and breathing seemed to last an age - with each pause, they all watched anxiously as Kristin checked for a pulse. She shook her head and Tim resumed compressions.

"I'm getting light headed," Piccolo said after breathing another lung full of air into Wendy's mouth. Ben quickly moved down to take his place and breathed on Tim's order.

"Stop!" Kristin barked once more and pressed her fingers to Wendy's neck. She shook her head solemnly. Tim went to resume compressions but Kristin held out her hand to prevent him. He looked at her alarmed, but the look in her eyes said it all. They'd been working for more than 10 minutes. Kristin looked at Nathan and shook her head in finality – they'd lost her.

***

Jonathan raised his head from Lonnie's hand to see Miguel carrying Beth's limp body into the medical tent. He laid her down on one of the free beds and stroked her face. Jonathan looked up at him, alarmed.

"She's alright…I think," Miguel said solemnly, "Are you alright?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Lonnie?" Miguel asked.

"Still stable," he answered. He looked expectantly at Miguel, bracing himself for more news, and guessing that it wasn't good. "The crew?"

"They're fine…everyone except Wendy…she's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"I mean gone! She'd dead Jon!" he said angrily, running his hands through his hair.

Stunned, Jonathan stood and walked over to where his friend stood staring out at the wreckage of the compound. "What happened out there? I thought we were all dead."

"We were," Miguel said simply, "and then…it just…they _did _something. I don't know." He turned his attention back to Beth and grasped her hand desperately.

"Who did something?"

"Wendy and Beth!!!" In a sharp movement that startled him, Miguel snapped his head up and paced violently to one end of the bed and back again, while Jonathan tried to understand the meaning behind his words.

"What have we got?" Doctor Shilton barked as he strode in on the scene. He and his staff were slowly coming back to themselves and drawing in more casualties from the blast. There were many burn victims, some too bad to be saved, and others in a state of shell shock. The sounds of their struggles slowly began to filter through Miguel's own cloud of confusion and he found himself back in a world he didn't quite recognise anymore.

"She's my patient, if you don't mind," Kristin replied, marching into the medical tent to take a place next to where Beth had been laid. With precision, she carefully checked Beth over, while Jonathan and Miguel hung over her shoulder. The rest of the crew, along with Ben and Katie, trickled into the tent. Nathan, Jim and Tim arrived last after escorting Wendy's body to the makeshift morgue.

"What's wrong with her?" Miguel asked anxiously.

"With the trauma she sustained, my best guess is she's in a coma. Her vitals are stable, but a body simply can't take that amount of punishment, so it's shut itself down to recover; to reboot if you will." Kristin explained.

"How long will that take?" Nathan asked.

"Oh I don't know, Nathan, if you had the force of a nuclear bomb flowing through your mind, how long would it take you to _reboot_?" she snapped. After looking at Nathan's pallid face, she instantly regretted the comment. Wrapping her stethoscope round her neck she walked over and placed her hand on his arms. "I'm sorry," she said simply.

Nathan nodded.

"What happens now, Captain?" Lucas asked, voicing the question everyone desperately needed to hear the answer to.

Nathan's heart hammered. He tried to string a few words together – anything to say, to reassure them like he'd done hundreds of times before, but nothing came. The enormity of the situation was paralysing, and only then did he fully appreciate how the world leaders must have felt in the wake of the last great terrorist attack on American soil. The eyes gazing at him were frightened; they were frightened because they knew this meant things were going to change, but they didn't want to contemplate it, they needed to _do _something. He straightened his shoulders and did the only thing he could – be their Captain. Highly aware of the need to contain information about the incident, he set Lucas the task of jamming all outgoing radio signals, and monitoring communications within the compound. Any military personnel found to be passing on sensitive information was to be instantly reprimanded.

"I'll give you a hand with that," Katie told a shaken looking Lucas. The two of them made to walk back towards the J.C.C. Before she left, Katie placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and spoke quietly into his ear. He nodded and placed his hand over hers, then watched as she and Lucas slipped away.

The Vice-President would need to be informed of the Presidents death, and start making decisions on how to proceed. To that end, Nathan sent Ford and Brody to find Colonel Callison and get the ball rolling.

Satisfied that Beth's condition required no further medical treatment, Kristin had already moved further down the tent to assist with the other casualties that were coming in from the far reaches of the compound. Nathan was confident that Dagwood and Piccolo would find strength under her lead, and so assigned them to help out in the medical tent until further notice. Turning to his remaining two men filled him with pity. O'Neill and Ortiz were perhaps most in need of a task to distract them from the encroaching feeling of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm them. They stood, waiting for orders.

"Round up what you can of the crew. Secure the boat and put her on condition one, I'm putting you both in charge. Be ready to receive orders from the Admiral and have her ready to sail at a moments notice," he told them. Though O'Neill was only a junior officer and Ortiz an NCO, he had every faith the crew would follow them.

"What about you, Captain?" Ben asked from where he'd been standing, observing the developments.

"I have a phone call to make," he told them, "you have your orders."

O'Neill, Ortiz, and to his surprise, Krieg, all stood to attention and saluted. He saluted them back and headed for the compound.

As Miguel and Tim prepared to leave Lonnie and Beth in the care of the professionals, Ben realised he'd been left without a task.

"What about me? What should I do?" he asked them.

"Do what you do best, Ben, keep the morale up," Tim told him. "We could all use some of that right now."

Ben breathed a tentative laugh, "No kidding," he joked and watched as Miguel resumed his place at Beth's bedside and took her hand. Tenderly, he leaned over Beth's face, cupped her cheek with his free hand and bowed down so their foreheads rested together. He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before laying a kiss, softly, on her head.

"She'll be fine, Miguel," Ben told him. "I'll be here, and so will Westphalen, Dagwood and…" he struggled to remember Tony's name, "…the other me," he joked again. He walked over and gave him a slap on the back. "Go do your job, Chief."

Doctor Shilton, who had been working nearby, sought to give Miguel some reassurance. "We'll take good care of your wife, Mr Ortiz," he said.

Miguel simply nodded and followed Tim out of the tent.

"And take care of yourselves. Katie told me to watch out for you guys!" Ben shouted after them. He quickly caught up with Doctor Shilton.

"Uh, excuse me," he tapped him on the shoulder.

Shilton turned round and gave a frustrated sigh. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes – Beth there, that is, Miss Allen, she and Chief Ortiz aren't married. Just thought you should have your facts straight."

"Oh, I just assumed…"

"Yeah, but believe me…no," Ben said flatly and turned his back to the Doctor. He turned to find Tony Piccolo eyeing him questioningly, and grimaced as the young Seaman began to make his way over.

"What are you stickin' your nose in for? Let him think they're married, she might get better care that way," Tony insisted.

Ben raised his eyebrows. "She'll get the best care possible. And believe me, kid, that ain't a rumour either of them want spread around – not if they want to stick together."

"Speaking from experience?" Tony joked.

"My ex-wife's experience."

"Oh, right," Tony said sarcastically. "Seaman Anthony Piccolo," he held out his hand. "I don't think we were properly introduced last night."

"Benjamin Krieg."

"I'll see you around," Tony nodded and went to continue his duties. He had to admit he'd misjudged the man's actions, assuming he was interfering in affairs that had nothing to do with him, when in actual fact he was selflessly looking out for their mutual friends.

Ben looked out from the tent and watched, with conflicted thoughts, as Tim and Miguel shouted out to all the available seaQuest crew. It was strange seeing what a difference three years had made to those men. And although he was pleased to see them so sure of themselves, he was sad to have missed out on it all. More than he himself had realised. Wanting to stop this kind of thing from happening was what had led him to the navy in the first place. Perhaps it was time he stopped mourning the loss of one opportunity and found himself another one. He looked around him. The sounds of gunfire had been replaced by the efficient sounds of the military machine, and the cries of the wounded. There was certainly plenty to do, and afterwards there would almost certainly be plenty of time to grieve. But right now that wasn't a process any of them were interested in beginning.

***

"UEO Central Services, how may I direct your call?" came the generic voice on the other end of the communicator.

Nathan sat in an abandoned room in one of the complex buildings unaffected by the blast. Although the noise and chaos from outside was still present, the slight sense of isolation provided him with just enough composure for what he was about to do.

"Patch me through to Admiral Fisher-Smith on the _Vendace_," he said sedately. '_Placing Call…_' flashed menacingly on the small screen in front of him, a reminder that he didn't have much time to form the right words. Within seconds, the words stopped flashing and a composed, dark haired woman of a similar age to himself, was standing looking expectantly at him.

"Nathan," she greeted, "business or pleasure?"

"Lexington," Nathan began.

"Cut to the chase, Nathan, I know about the situation at the compound. I also know that the seaQuest was docked there for the conference. What's going on? Do you need assistance?"

He recognised that undertone so clearly. She had the stern demeanour of any woman in the navy, but beneath those harsh words lay concern. She wanted the truth, and he hated to be the one to give it to her.

"There was an explosion," he said, unsure of how much information he was allowed to give, "and Wendy was injured."

"How bad," Lexington asked, coldly.

"We couldn't save her, we did everything we could, but…she's gone Lexy, I'm sorry."

Lexington bowed her head and blinked her eyelids furiously. She rubbed her nose and looked back at the screen, her features softened dramatically.

"I'll turn the _Vendace _around. We're on the far side of the Atlantic. At full speed, we'll be back in Norfolk in about four days. I'll arrange for her funeral to take place in five." She paused and looked at him with more sincerity than he thought his heart could manage. "Bring her home to me, Captain," she croaked.

"Of course," he said, "Good sailing."

She nodded and went to turn off the vid-link. "And Nathan…thank you for telling me personally."

"We'll see you in four days," Nathan reassured, and with that she signed off, leaving him back in the maelstrom once more.

***

"Commander on deck!" Ortiz shouted, as Ford and Brody walked through the clam doors and onto the familiar bridge of the seaQuest.

"At ease," Ford told the sparse crew. Out of the twenty or more crewmembers usually present on the bridge, only ten were sitting at their stations, including O'Neill and Ortiz.

"Never thought I'd be glad to be back here so soon," Brody murmured.

"Commander," Tim stood from the Captain's chair and shook Ford's hand. "Any news?" he asked.

"We're still waiting for orders," Ford said, then realised that wasn't the kind of news they were looking for. "Henderson and Beth are still the same."

"What's going to happen to them?" O'Neill asked.

"She's not going to be packed off to that colony is she?" Ortiz asked, concerned.

"Aleph? No-way!" Ford exclaimed, "She'll be treated on the boat. She's part of the crew; this is where she belongs. The same goes for Henderson. We're not breaking this crew apart!" he said sternly, loud enough to carry to every ear on the bridge, and filling each person with a sense of relief and pride. He looked around at the crew, single-mindedly milling about, carrying out their duties.

"Good work," he nodded to O'Neill and Ortiz. It was no mean feat that they'd achieved – mobilizing a whole boat and making ready for…well _anything_. "Alright," he sighed, taking his position in the Captain's chair. "Brody, make sure everything is secured. Is this _all_ the crew you could get?" he asked O'Neill.

"Yes, Sir. A few were injured in the fighting, some were still deep in the compound, pulling people out, but most were helping out in the medical tent."

Ford thought for a moment. After this, it was more than likely that the seaQuest would be given new orders, rather than just continuing with the last leg of the tour. If that were the case, they'd need the whole crew compliment. "Put out a call on the PALs for all crew to report back to their stations within the hour, then begin a crew roster. I want to know who we've got."

"Yes, Sir." O'Neill promptly took his station to Ford's left.

Before Brody left to carry out his orders, he looked over to Ortiz, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm good, Sir," he replied coolly. Jim was slightly taken aback at the professional response, but they all needed something to focus on, and for he and Ortiz, that something wasn't Beth. He gave Ortiz a knowing nod before walking back off the bridge. He made a silent prayer that those orders came through soon. There were only so many times you could check things over. They were beginning to flounder; he could feel the unease beginning to creep back into his veins. There was no longer the single task to focus on and his thoughts were beginning to contemplate the future. Decisions needed to be made, and fast, before the crew began to lose their edge.

***

There had been nothing. No bruises, no marks, no blood, no tell tale signs of trauma. Just peace; peace and calm displayed perfectly on her face. It was such a cliché, and he'd heard it used so many times before, but it really was true; she looked just like she was sleeping – if only it were that simple.

'_That makes four_,' Nathan thought to himself. '_Four of the most influential women in my life, and I've lost them all_.'

He looked up from Wendy's side with frustration. More bodies were continually being brought in. Most of the terrorists had been vaporised in the blast and many more had been wounded, but not nearly so many as would have been, had Wendy and Beth not intervened. There had been casualties on both sides. About 150 were presumed dead at that time. The hurt was something Nathan had managed to keep himself immune to over the past three years since leaving the island. Even through losing the boat, he'd managed to hold things together for the sake of his crew. But this…this was too big to force down, and as it sat gnawing within him, other emotions began stirring in its wake. This wasn't the world he'd wanted to come back to.

"Nathan?"

He turned to face the solemn faces of McGath and Noyce. It was then he realised he was still clutching Wendy's hand and he laid it down gently, before standing to greet them.

"What's the word on Trent?" Nathan asked.

"His wife was an aid worker. She died in the East Pacific last year when her convoy was bombed by Korean forces. Clearly the resentment has clouded his judgement," Noyce said regretfully. He and McGath looked at each other, awkwardly, giving Nathan the impression that something was brewing.

"We've decided that given Miss Allen's _condition_, it would be best for her to remain on the boat," McGath began.

"By _condition_, do you mean the fact she's in a coma, or the fact that she's a G.E.L.F.?" Nathan asked, impatiently.

McGath looked around him, nervously. "Keep it down, please," he urged.

"What for? Everyone here has already seen what she can do."

The two men looked at him uncomfortably. "That's not technically true," Noyce said.

"What do you mean?" Nathan snapped, losing patience.

"Doctor Smith is a well known psychic, Nathan. We've decided that she should be given full recognition for saving us all."

"And Miss Allen? You're just going to hide her away?"

"The world doesn't need to know about B.E.T.H. I know it seems like our motives are selfish, but can you imagine the repercussions if her existence were to become public? It's for her own good," Noyce tried to reassure him.

Despite his urge to fight against the constraints of an obviously flawed system, he had to admit that going along with their reasoning was the best option for the time being. There was still the matter of Wendy, and he supposed this was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

"I've been specially asked by Admiral Fisher-Smith to escort Doctor Smith's body back home to Norfolk," he told them, matter-of-factly, "The _Vendace_ is making its' way back and will arrive in four days."

McGath and Noyce looked at each other in silent consultation, trying to read each other's thoughts on the matter.

"seaQuest is the best line of defence we have," McGath argued.

"But not the _only_ line of defence," Nathan argued back.

"Nathan, this is bigger than we anticipated. Not only is the outside world beginning to strain against the UEO, but resentment is spreading from the inside too. At a time like this, our citizens will want to know their flagship is out there performing her duties," McGath insisted. "And not only that, but we need to work fast to prevent this kind of thing happening again, and we can do that by getting our men on the front lines, showing them that the UEO is still capable."

"seaQuest needs to be on patrol, but Doctor Smith's sacrifice needs to be recognised, so you can take her to Norfolk and attend the funeral, but I want you patrolling along the way, and then we're placing you on a months patrol of the Eastern Seaboard," Noyce said in finality.

Nathan roiled with frustration. The boat was only meant to be back in the water for a further two weeks. He felt for his crew, many of whom had already made arrangements to spend time with family and friends. He looked back down at Wendy and caught a passing medic by the arm.

"Have someone bag her up will you? She shouldn't be exposed like this," he spoke, full of remorse.

"Yes, Sir," the medic walked swiftly away.

"What about the other dead?" Nathan asked. There were two other fallen crewmembers that he knew of, but, with the injuries sustained, there would likely be more within the next few days.

"Leave them here. We'll make sure they're sent back to their families."

Nathan nodded, too tired to make any kind of argument. "If you don't mind, I have a boat to launch," he said and left them standing in his wake, wondering how much more he could take. He headed straight for the medical tent, where Kristin was still working away with Piccolo at her side. He tapped her on the shoulder and drew her away from the fray.

"I'm arranging for the injured crew to be transferred to the seaQuest, Henderson and Miss Allen included."

"Then I'm coming with you," Kristin said, defiantly. "These are _my_ patients, Nathan. I'm responsible for their care," she said in response to his disapproving look.

'_Perhaps it's only three after all_,' Nathan thought, inwardly relieved at the thought of having her presence on the boat.

"Alright," he relented, "but we're leaving now."

"Where are we going, Cap?" Tony asked, quite obviously eavesdropping.

"We're taking Doctor Smith home," Nathan told him. He looked around to see Katie sitting vigil at Beth's bedside, but there was no sign of Lucas. "Where's Lucas?"

"Still at the J.C.C." said a voice behind them, "Katie left him trying to get some of the equipment up and running again," Ben explained.

"Is everybody listening in?" Nathan exclaimed. "Go and get him," he told him. As Ben left, Nathan asked Kristin for an update on Henderson.

"She should make a full recovery," Kristin told him, as they walked over to her bed.

"And what about Miss Allen?"

"I don't know. With trauma this severe there's a strong possibility of brain damage."

"Beth's brain is hurt?" Dagwood asked, appearing beside them.

Kristin eyed him sympathetically. During the last hour, he'd been extremely helpful, and showed a high level of empathy with the patients. "Yes, Dagwood."

"Is that why she won't wake up?" he asked, concerned.

Kristin and Nathan exchanged a glance. Nathan took Dagwood by the arm and told him to get Piccolo ready for moving back to the boat. He disappeared eagerly, as relieved as everyone else to have a task to focus on.

While he waited for Lucas and Ben to come back, he took the opportunity to go and speak to Katie. She turned to gaze at him, concern weighing heavy on her features. She and Beth had become unexpectedly close on the last tour. They'd shared a connection over something, and Nathan wasn't sure what that was, but it seemed to have left an impression, judging by the way she sat protectively watching over her.

"You said you found her in a facility," she said flatly, highly aware of his presence.

"Yes."

"What were they doing to her?"

"Only Doctor Smith ever knew the full details. But there was a lot of experimentation."

"Sick bastards," she muttered under her breath. "How did we not know about this? I mean in the end she was _so_ open and honest, I thought…" '_I thought I would have picked up on this_,' she thought. It had been hard enough having her brain meddled with in something legitimate, and facing up to the scorn from objectors, but at least they'd been taken care of. The surgeons in the HR Project took great care of their subjects. She could only imagine how difficult it had been for Beth to endure such cruelty, and keep her entire existence a secret. She understood that for her own safety it had been necessary, but wished she'd felt able to tell her about it, at least then they'd have been able to offer her some protection, and she might not have ended up in this mess.

"She hides things better than you think," Nathan said, simply.

Katie sighed. And she'd thought she had a thick skin. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me updated on her condition, Captain," she said, standing up and brushing her hands down her thighs.

"Of course," he nodded.

At that moment, two out-of-breath figures bounded into the tent to stand beside them.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Lucas asked.

"The seaQuest is getting ready to move out," he told them.

"Move out where?" Lucas probed for details.

"To take Doctor Smith home to her family." He walked towards Ben and Katie and held out his hand. "It was good to see you both again," he said coldly, "take care of yourselves. I'm sure our paths will cross again."

Katie and Ben both robotically shook his hand, confused by the sudden and abrupt farewell. Lucas on the other hand, wasn't so keen to say goodbye. Having his old friends around had given him the strength and courage to get through what was otherwise a nightmare situation.

"Can't they…?" he began.

"There's no room for two Captain's on one boat, Lucas," Katie interrupted.

"Not even a big boat," Ben joked and turned to face him.

Lucas gave him an unrestrained embrace. "Thank you," he mumbled into Ben's shoulder, as Piccolo and Dagwood arrived beside them.

"Any time. I mean that, kid," Ben pulled away and looked him dead in the eye, before moving to shake Piccolo and Dagwood's hands. "Good sailing," he told them.

"What will you do?" Kristin asked Katie.

"Help out where we can. We can't stay long anyway. I have the Clinton to get back to. She'll be busy after this."

"Well, be careful," she told them, and took Katie into a quick embrace. She then turned her attention to the task at hand. "Right, let's get everything ready to move, shall we?"

***

"Commander?" Bridger's voice called over Ford's PAL.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Have Brody and Ortiz meet us at the docks and help us load the casualties. Are we ready to launch?"

"As soon as you're onboard, Sir."

"Good, Bridger out."

***

Initially strange and foreign, once they were underway, Kristin soon found she barely even heard the hum of the boat's engines as they began the journey up the eastern seaboard from New Cape Quest to Norfolk. It would take them three days at patrol speed to reach their destination. Within a few hours, Lonnie had come round from the anaesthetic, sore and groggy, and told them all to go away, before asking for 'Addison', her stuffed bear, much to the amusement of her crewmates. Beth, on the other hand, was showing no change. Kristin had hoped, after being filled in on the back story by Nathan, that she'd be out of the coma in a matter of hours, but 12 hours later she still lay comatose, forcing Kristin to hook up IV lines to keep her hydrated. There were many casualties to attend to. Out of the 200 odd crew on the seaQuest, 34 were injured; 12 seriously, giving her plenty of work. Her head was spinning, and she had her own emotions to fight, but putting her energies into helping others was enough of a tonic for now. Lucas had remained by her side for most of that time, clinging to her skirts as it were, seeking comfort in her strength. She finally managed to chase him away to get something to eat, and to allow her some peace, only to find Ortiz had taken up position by Beth's side. She stood in the doorway of the individual room Beth had been allocated and observed, silently.

He looked strained and tired, as they all were, and rested his head on Beth's hand, which he clutched desperately. Nathan had also filled her in on the relationship between these two and how they'd already been through this entire scenario only months before. She ached for the man – having potentially lost so quickly what he'd waited three years to gain.

"I can't take this," Miguel uttered quietly.

"Take what?" Kristin spoke from behind him.

He turned his head to find her watching him. "I didn't know you were there."

"Obviously. So…what can't you take, exactly?"

"This!" he gestured towards Beth, "I can't help her. Whenever she needs me most, there's nothing I can do for her. She makes me feel…"

"Impotent?" Kristin cut in.

Ortiz scowled at her. "Do you have to put it like that?"

Kristin smiled and walked over to stand by him. "You _are_ helping her, Miguel. I think you've helped her more than you realise." Judging by his grimace, he was less than pleased with that response. "How would you rather be helping her?" she asked, "would you rather she were in mortal peril again, and you had to ride in and rescue her?" He gave her an incredulous look. "No, I didn't think so," she quipped. She knew, of course, that as well as feeling unable to help her, Miguel _needed _her. He needed her to be awake, to help him come to terms with everything they'd seen in the last 24 hours. It seemed everyone on the boat was of the same mind. She knew Bridger, Ford and Brody had already volunteered for double watches to keep the crew in line. Tensions onboard were high, so the three commanding officers felt it was essential to maintain a strong presence and keep things under control.

Kristin's heart heaved as Miguel let out a deep sigh.

"We've only been together _one_ night," he said, sadly.

"Miguel," she smiled, "you've been together far longer than one night," she said.

Miguel contemplated her statement. She was right; as far as he was concerned, they'd been together ever since she'd set her first foot on the seaQuest.

Kristin shuffled her feet, restlessly. "Would you like some time alone?"

"Yeah," he said after a while.

The equipment showed Beth's heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels were still steady, leaving Kristin fairly confident that there would be no significant changes in the next few hours. "Be sure to contact me if there's any change," she told him. With a quick backward glance, she left the two of them alone together and walked briskly down the corridor, realising that it wasn't just Miguel that needed time alone.

***

On the second day after the attack, tensions onboard were still refusing to dissipate, as everyone dealt with the tragedy in their own way. They were a strong crew – the best of the best, but after what they'd been through it was only natural they'd want to turn to familiar faces, loved ones – and on a submarine that just wasn't possible. If it hadn't been for Nathan's discretion, the service records of some of his crew would have been ruined by petty acts of emotional terrorism. Those affected were akin to loose canons, loaded with seething comments and ready to strike at a moments notice. Kristin had seen more than a few burst lips, black eyes and cut eyebrows on off-duty sailors. Thankfully the outbursts appeared to be restricted to the young and inexperienced members of the crew, and after a strict talking to from their superior officer, they were quick to calm down. Even so, the tension was doing nothing for morale onboard. Nathan, Jonathan, Jim and Kristin had done their best to keep the crew together, but they still had their own emotions to tend to, and were as battle weary as the rest of them.

The good news was that no more of the injured crew had succumbed to their injuries. In total they'd only lost three crewmembers. They'd been lucky. And Henderson was progressing well, asking for all her crewmates, and managing to talk with Kristin about what had happened.

As Nathan slumped back in his seat on the bridge and contemplated the situation, he desperately wished that something would happen to change the tide. He worried for them all, Lucas especially, who had stopped attending mess and had spent hours absorbed in the most minute feature of the ship's software.

As usual, right on cue, Kristin came through with a miracle. Her image appeared on the screen at his station.

"Nathan, if you can spare Mr Ortiz, could you send him down to med-bay 10, please?" she asked.

"She's awake isn't she?" Nathan asked,

"Yes, for two hours now, and doing well."

"Alright, I'll do that, thank you." He sighed, his heart lifted a little, and looked to Ortiz. "Mr Ortiz? Doctor Westphalen would like to see you in med-bay 10."

He smiled a little as the Chief tried to hide his excitement, carefully controlling his pace as he left the bridge. Sitting beside him, Ford also smiled.

"We need a little more of that," he commented.

"Agreed, Commander, agreed," Nathan nodded.

***

He didn't bother with the mag-lev. The adrenaline was surging too fast through his veins and he needed to work it off, so he walked quickly along the passageways and bounded down the stairs, before breaking into a jog. Miguel's heart sang at the thought of seeing Beth awake, but the Captain hadn't said anything about her condition. Westphalen had mentioned the possibility of brain damage, but he had refused to consider that. That thought scared him. He didn't know how he'd cope if he'd have to adjust to another version of the woman he loved. He was startled as a member of the crew ran into the back of him. _When had he stopped moving?_

He looked around him where he'd ground to a halt – in the passageway leading to med-bay. His mind still raced with the realisation he'd just made – he loved her. That thought propelled his legs even faster along the corridor, until he found Westphalen waiting outside Bay 10. The expression on her face made his heart fall.

"What is it? She's alright isn't she?" he asked.

"She's groggy and slightly confused, but otherwise fine. She's been asking for you," Kristin told him. Miguel made to walk into the room, but Kristin put out her arm and blocked his path. "She doesn't know about Doctor Smith."

Miguel nodded sadly, acknowledging the burden that had been passed to him, and Kristin let him pass. Beth was lying, staring at the ceiling, but looked to him with complete and uninhibited relief when she heard his footsteps.

"Hey," Miguel said softly, and took a seat on the bed in front of her. Kristin was right; her eyes were glazed, showing that she wasn't quite sure of everything around her.

"You're alright," she stated, and fumbled for his hand. He took hold of it and relished in the grip of her fingers through his own.

With his other hand, he reached out and cupped her cheek. "So are you," he sighed. "You scared the bananas out of me."

"I'm sorry," she said, grasping his hand tightly.

"How're you feeling?"

"Ok…I guess. What about everyone else? Henderson?"

Miguel swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, and looked at her blankly, searching for the words to begin. At his silence, Beth could sense something wasn't right. She released his hands and tried to sit up so she could look him in the eye. Miguel stood and propped the pillows behind her back and tucked the bed sheet back round her. Now sitting face to face, Beth could see he was struggling with something.

"Lonnie didn't make it, did she?"

Miguel shook his head, causing Beth's breath to catch in her throat.

"She's fine," Miguel said thinly. "How much do you remember?"

"Uh," Beth stumbled, "I remember us all standing together, and then running in and the bomb going off, but not much after that. I don't really remember what happened."

The right words were becoming harder and harder to find. "You stopped it, the whole thing. It was insane, the whole explosion just hung there in front of you," Miguel paused.

"But," Beth added, sensing this wasn't the whole story.

"But you couldn't hold it, you couldn't keep it up. Wendy must have sensed that, because she went in after you, and…" he composed himself. "You both did something, to dissipate all that energy. There was…I can't even explain it, but when we looked, you were both lying there, and…" this was it. "And Wendy didn't make it," he said finally.

This time, Beth's breath did more than catch in her throat; it stopped altogether. She struggled to take deep breaths, fighting down the surging shock and emotion. Her vision began to sparkle from lack of oxygen as the blood drained away from her head. She could remember. She could remember Wendy's reassuring presence right beside her, her firm grip on her hand, giving her the strength she needed to finish the job. Then there were those words, Wendy's words, echoing round her mind in the seconds before blackness overtook – '_love is everything…_' Wendy's love had given her courage. Wendy's love had given her the confidence to embrace her abilities, and it had killed her, Beth realised. Her own lack of self-belief had killed the one person who truly understood her. The realisation left her hollow, and unable to resist the tide of emotion pressing heavy against her chest.

Miguel watched as a solitary tear rolled out from the side of her eye. Unsure of what to say, he stood up and moved to sit on the bed beside her.

"Beth?" he asked, and tentatively traced the line of the tear with his finger.

The tenderness of her response overwhelmed him, as, with a huge intake of breath, she leaned in and wrapped her arms, tightly, around his chest and sobbed unrestrained into his shoulder.

Holding to her just as tightly, Miguel suppressed a shudder, as he allowed his grief to overflow and mingle with hers.

"I know," he said simply, "I know."


	13. Chapter 13

"My Dad's coming to pick me up after the funeral," Lonnie said to Beth, as they kept each other company in her small med-bay. Beth had been discharged the previous evening, a few hours after waking up, but since then had, ironically, ended up spending most of her time back in med-bay with Lonnie.

"Are you looking forward to going home?" Beth asked, sat cross-legged on the bed, while playing with Addison.

"Yeah," she paused, "I need to get away from all this…y'know?"

"Yeah, I know," Beth sighed, sadly. "But it's still difficult to be leaving this way," she mused.

Just a few hours ago, the Captain had told her that after Wendy's funeral she wouldn't be coming back onboard. Under the regulations of wartime steaming, all non-essential personnel were to be offloaded, which included the entire science contingent. That had been a large bombshell to drop on her staff. Most were relieved - anxious to get home to their families. But for those, like Beth, without any other life to get back to, the prospect of leaving the crew early was a daunting one.

She hadn't told Miguel yet. Being the go-to man for most of the enlisted crew, he'd been pulling double watches since they left New Cape Quest. They were due to arrive in Norfolk in a few hours. No doubt he'd find out sooner than later.

Between the month seaQuest was now going to be on patrol, and the month before the next tour started, she didn't really have a set plan, and even then, her position on the seaQuest was far from secure. Her _ad-hoc_ appointment to the science staff hadn't been recognised through the official channels. If she were to return for the next tour, they would have to give their approval. So, for all she knew, this could be her last day on the boat among her friends. That was a scenario she and Miguel had never considered. Deep down they firmly hoped they would both be assigned to the seaQuest for the foreseeable future, but with the recent turn of events, that wasn't certain anymore.

Her mind began to race anxiously, wondering just how they would maintain their relationship leading separate lives on separate sides of the world. It wasn't something she wanted to think about, so instead turned the conversation to Lonnie's plans for summer vacation.

"Well…I _was_ planning on taking a trip with my folks, but I don't know how realistic that'll be now," she said.

"Oh come on, it's just a scratch, you'll be up and about in no time," Beth insisted.

"I don't know. What about you?" Lonnie asked, patting her on the leg. "What are you going to do with your summer?"

Beth shook her head. "I'm not sure. I have some work to do for the reserve management group, but other than that…I might contact Doctor Levin and see if he wants any help." Lonnie gave her a blank look. "He was a scientist on the last tour," she explained.

"Oh," Lonnie nodded. "I keep forgetting you were here before. So, what about Miguel?"

"What about him?"

"Aren't you going to do anything together?"

"I don't know if he'd want to," Beth replied awkwardly.

"Have you asked him?"

"No."

"Well then," Lonnie said, tartly. "See that's your problem."

"What?" Beth looked up, startled.

"You make assumptions and skirt around the issue. You should face things head on."

Beth raised her eyebrows. "Lonnie, my entire existence is a crime. I've been running and hiding my whole life. I don't know anything else."

"Well you ought to. And you can start by admitting to yourself that Wendy's death wasn't your fault," Lonnie said, tentatively broaching the subject she knew they couldn't keep avoiding. There was only so much time you could fill with small talk.

Beth had fallen silent.

"Beth, I haven't known you very long, but we've spent a lot of time together; enough time to be honest with each other." She studied Beth's face and realised her eyes had glazed over and her teeth were firmly dug into her lips, fighting hard against her overwhelming emotions. "Hey, hey," Lonnie said soothingly, as she took Beth's hand.

Beth lifted her head up to look at her. "Sorry, I thought I was done with this," she said, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

"I think it'll be a long time before any of us are done with this," Lonnie reassured. She paused and fiddled with her IV line before Beth batted her hand away. They both smiled. "You know, I always depended on Wendy to bring me back down to earth. I can get a bit dramatic about things…"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Say, really?" she teased.

Lonnie scowled and continued. "Wendy never stood for it. Like when I shoved an ice cream in Tim's face and we fell out – she just told me to get over it. She'd been through enough to be able to put things in perspective."

Beth had to agree. Whenever she was wallowing in her own problems, Wendy had reminded her that at least she was still alive and healthy and had people around her who cared. But most importantly, she could blend in, unlike the other G.E.L.F.s who had to carry that stigma around with them. "Yeah, she could straight talk alright," she sighed.

"I'll be sad to leave," Lonnie admitted. "It's just for a couple of months though. We'll be back together before you know it," she said encouragingly. "Are you gonna be ok?" she asked after a brief pause.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't have anywhere to go. Where were you gonna go once the tour ended?"

Beth shrugged, "Jim said he'd come and check out the old house in Portland with me, and help me get it on the market. The Captain had the authorities hold it safe for me, but I still need to go and see what state it's in and what belongings I can salvage. I wouldn't expect there's much left. After that, like I said, I assumed I'd go and work somewhere."

Lonnie's eyes rolled, "There go those assumptions again."

"I know," Beth glowered at her.

They both looked up as Miguel knocked on the door.

"I just heard," he said, walking towards Beth.

Lonnie smiled sadly as Beth stood up and walked into Miguel's embrace, and wondered how they felt about having such an uncertain future ahead of them.

Beth turned to look questioningly at her.

"No, you go, I'll be fine," she told her.

"Get some rest," Beth insisted.

"You're looking good," Miguel added.

"Thanks," Lonnie grinned. "See you tonight?" she asked Beth.

"Yeah," she nodded before leaving with Miguel. They walked along in silence for a few moments before he spoke.

"It's just one thing after another," he said, downbeat.

"We knew it was a possibility."

Miguel maintained a stony silence beside her as they walked past several crewmembers. She could sense there was a lot he wanted to say.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked.

"Somewhere quiet," he barked.

"Ok," she said, and led them further along B-Deck to the hydroponics lab. Inside, two junior scientists were in the process of packing up the equipment. "Can you give us a minute, please?" Beth asked them.

They exchanged a knowing glance, but left without question.

Once they closed the door behind them, Beth walked over to Miguel and ran her hand over his face, taking in the shadowed eyes and deep-set grimace. He sighed, wound tight with tension, and grabbed her hands fiercely. It was a move so uncharacteristic that Beth wasn't sure what he would do next. But he simply looked into her eyes and bowed his head, exhausted, before pulling her back into his arms, where they remained for several minutes, rocking back and forth.

"I need to know you're going to be safe," he admitted. "I can't go on patrol having to worry about you," he added sternly, making Beth feel a stab of guilt. "I can get a call out to my folks, I'm sure they'd take you in," he suggested.

"Miguel, I'm not landing on your family."

"What alternative is there?"

"I have the house to see to, you know that."

"I think that's a bad idea, and so does Jim."

"He didn't think so before."

"That was before all this happened. Now you're going to have to go yourself. The people that…_created_ you, found you there before, so you can't stay there for long. Where are you going to go the rest of the time?"

"Miguel, you're acting like I can't take care of myself!"

"And you're acting like you can just waltz around, doing whatever you like without affecting anybody!"

Beth sighed with annoyance, "I know you're just looking out for me, but maybe I need to find my feet again…by myself."

He looked down at her with an expression bordering on hurt. "What are you saying?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying what you think I'm saying," she reassured. "I'm saying that I still have some loose ends to tie up, and they're not going to be sorted out by hiding away somewhere. I have to face up to them." She silently thanked Lonnie for pointing out that fact to her.

Miguel took a deep breath. Her stubbornness frustrated the hell out of him. She had no idea what it was like to be separated from the people you love for months at a time. It was bad enough with his family, but now he had her to worry about too, all he wanted was some reassurance that she would be safe until he got back. He couldn't bear the thought of those people getting hold of her again, not now she'd just started getting over it all.

"I know, Beth, but I _need_ you to do this for me. If you won't go and stay with my parents, Jim said you could stay at his place in Cape Quest."

"You've spoken to Jim about this?" she asked, sternly.

Miguel rolled his eyes. "Just do this, please."

"I want to see what's left at the house," she insisted.

"The Goddamn house has waited three years! It can wait another month!" he snapped. "Just wait until Jim or I can be there with you."

She was startled by the ferocity of his response. But the irritation in his eyes brought her back to her senses. He'd been trying to tell her in as gentle a way as possible to stop being so self-absorbed and listen to what he needed, only she'd been rather slow to catch on. If this would help him get through the next month, she had little choice. "Alright, I won't go to the house. I'll stay at Jim's," she relented. "But, if I can get work with Levin, I'll go," she added, stubbornly.

Miguel cupped her face in his hands and stared intently into her eyes. "You're gonna be there when we come home though, right?" he asked, silently terrified that the moment he let her go, she'd vanish again.

"I'll be there," she promised, giving his heart something to cling to.

***

Kristin lent a certain air of proficiency to the fast paced packing job the science team had to undertake. A lot of the equipment was based on the boat, but an equal amount had been brought onboard by researchers undertaking specialist studies. Kristin, of course, had nothing save what she'd packed for the ball, but all hands were needed to get things ready in time, so she had volunteered her services.

Lucas hadn't taken the news well. He and Nathan had exchanged a few heated words before retreating to their respective ends of the boat. She'd tried approaching Lucas about it, but he'd given her the same treatment, so she thought it best just to back off. He'd slunk into the lab to clear away some of the computer gear, but still hadn't said a word to her. They were still at stalemate when Beth walked in.

"Kristin, do you have a minute?"

"How are things going in hydroponics?" she asked.

"I'm not working in hydroponics," Beth stuttered, "I'm clearing out the lab on B-Deck."

"I know."

Beth stood confused for a moment, before realising she must have heard about her meeting with Miguel. "Oh, it's fine, I think. So…can I have a word?"

"This is BULL!!!" Lucas suddenly erupted, giving the desk a frustrated kick.

Kristin, fed up and just as stressed, stood up and glared at him. "Mr Wolenczak! No one ever said life on a submarine was going to be easy! It's too dangerous to remain onboard; get over it!" She slapped a book down on the work surface and stomped out into the corridor to speak with Beth.

"Are you ok?" she asked, concerned, as Kristin mopped her brow with her sleeve.

"Yes, I'm alright. He needed some hard truths, that's all. What do you need?"

"I need to know where Joshua is working."

"Planning on joining him?"

"Possibly, yeah."

"He's working with the Marine Mammal Research Unit out of UBC," she said abruptly.

"Thanks." Beth studied the older woman's face. "Are you really ok?"

Kristin snapped her eyes up to glare at her. "How dare you?!? Stay out of my head!" she barked.

Beth blinked, completely shocked and at a loss for words. The outburst had drawn the attention of passing crewmembers, causing tears of shame to prick her eyes, even though she'd been nowhere near Kristin's thoughts.

With her hands to her mouth, Kristin shook her head and mumbled, "Beth, I'm so sorry. No, I'm not alright. I've spent the last three days stepping into someone else's shoes, and it's tiring."

"That's rubbish Kristin, and you know it."

"Excuse me?"

"All you're doing is stepping back into your own shoes. And besides, did it ever occur to you that Wendy might have felt the same thing?" Beth said, wiping her eyes clear of the escaping tears. Kristin simply stared at her blankly, either that or playing the fool in order to hear more. It was probably the latter. "You left behind an enormous hole in this boat that she had no hope of filling, so she didn't try - she just did her own thing. In some ways it worked, and in others it didn't, but she didn't fill your shoes. She made her own." The memories were dangerously close to the surface now, threatening to spill over. There would be plenty time for that at the funeral – plenty time to grieve and begin to move on, but right now there was work to do. "Excuse me," Beth croaked and cleared her throat, turning to walk away.

"Beth," Kristin reached out and touched her shoulder, bringing her escape to a halt. Motherly instincts took over, and she circled to stand in front of her. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around the vulnerable figure - the relative stranger she'd once known so well.

"I can't do this," Beth protested, pulling away to compose herself, before the emotions took hold.

Kristin looked up at her warmly. "We'll get through this together," she promised.

***

'_People really have no idea how special silence is.'_

Seated on a pew, near the back of a local church, Tim relished in the calm stillness of the building. A caretaker rustled about at the alter, clearing up in preparation for the next day, but other than that, he was alone. Well, technically not alone. He liked to think he was never alone, but since the attack he'd struggled to find that inner connection and reassurance. After the seaQuest had docked, he and some of the crew had been granted a 'Cinderella liberty', leaving them free to go ashore and blow off some steam. The guys were round the corner, having dinner in a tacky Italian restaurant, but he'd declined the invite. All he wanted was quiet.

Wendy's body had been transferred to shore, and many of the critically injured had been collected by their families. A military contingent kept the boat on standby at all times. All that remained of the science crew were those who wished to attend Wendy's funeral, which was due to take place in just over a day's time.

He'd lost track of how long he'd been sitting in the same spot, but the now half melted candles on the table suggested it had been a good few hours. It had felt like mere minutes.

The tranquillity was broken by shuffling from the doorway, and footsteps heading in his direction.

"Hey," Miguel said quietly as he sat down. "Didn't think you'd still be here."

"Neither did I," Tim joked.

"Must have some serious thinking to do, huh?"

"Actually, yeah." He looked across at Miguel, who was peering at him, expectantly, through the dim light. "I've been thinking about Wendy, and Beth…about what they did."

"Haven't we all?" Miguel asked, rhetorically.

"I guess, but, I'm finding it hard to understand. I hoped being in a house of God might shed some light on the issue."

"No divine intuition?"

"Not even a shiver."

"Well, maybe this is something you're supposed to work out for yourself," Miguel suggested.

Tim looked at him sidelong. "I've been trying," he said, exasperated. "For the past three days, I've been trying."

"Can I ask what it is?"

"I don't think you're going to like the answer."

"Try me."

He took a deep breath before beginning. Miguel, perhaps, wasn't the best person to be discussing this with. "Wendy's death bothers me. Why sacrifice one person's life, and save another?"

"You're saying you _wanted_ Beth to die?"

Tim sighed. He knew Miguel would react that way. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I didn't want either of them to die. What I'm asking is, what is there to differentiate between them? What is it about one person's life that places them above another?"

"Tim, it wasn't just Beth's life that was spared. What she did…what _they_ did, it saved all of us."

He thought for a moment, recognising the truth in the statement. Perhaps Miguel wasn't such a bad person to speak to after all. Maybe he was just focusing too much on the small details. "How are you coping with that anyway?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it really doesn't bother me anymore?"

"Would you be offended if I said no?"

Miguel breathed a laugh. "I guess I had that coming," he admitted.

"I don't want you to think I don't like Beth, because I do, and I'm glad you two finally sorted things out, I'm just…"

"…having trouble accepting?"

Tim scowled. "Whoever thought that the guy notorious for his sexual promiscuity would be lecturing me about acceptance, in a church?"

"Thanks, Tim," Miguel said, inwardly hurt.

Tim regretted the comment. Miguel hadn't been that guy in a long time. He'd been a solid, dependable friend. "I believe, that only God should have that kind of powers. It's wrong for a human being to have such abilities."

"Wendy had those abilities too."

"But not to that extent. I mean, can you imagine what would happen if we were all that powerful? We'd kill each other!"

Miguel smiled thinly. "In case you haven't noticed, we already kill each other."

A grin spread across Tim's face. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed.

"We should just be thankful that those powers are in _her_ hands, and not some crack-pot. Otherwise things could have turned out very differently."

"Let's just hope they stay that way, because if she ever decided to turn against us, we wouldn't stand a chance," Tim argued.

"That's not going to happen."

Miguel spoke with such an air of certainty that Tim found himself fully convinced that he was right, and it gave him strength, even if only for a moment.

"Come on, it's getting late. We gotta get back to the boat," Miguel said, standing up.

"You go, I need a few minutes to finish up here," Tim said.

"Alright." Miguel patted him on the back and walked back out of the church, leaving him to seek the comfort he so desperately needed.

***

The day before the funeral was subdued, with everyone keeping very much to themselves. Jonathan had held the bridge for most of the day, while the Captain went ashore to help with the preparations. The crew had been kept busy getting the boat re-supplied for its' patrol. Having pulled another double watch, Miguel had barely seen Beth, save for a few minutes at breakfast. Lucas had seen her working in the moon pool earlier, so it was there that he now sought her out.

He paused in the doorway, watching, as she sat on the edge of the pool, drifting her feet through the water as Darwin bobbed nearby.

"Darwin understands," he spoke. "Bridger told Darwin, Wendy gone. Bridger sad."

"We're all sad, Darwin," Beth sighed.

"Lucas sad too, not speak to Darwin."

"He will," she reassured.

Darwin swam underneath her and turned over on his belly so she could rub it with her feet. She shook her head and smiled at his innocence, as did Miguel, who edged forward to stand behind her.

"Hey," she said, easing her back against the familiar warmth of his chest, as he encircled her with his arms and rested his chin on her head. "How was the watch?"

"Tense," he said, gripping her hands and pulling her closer. "I think we all need to get this over with," he sighed. "Are you all packed?"

"Pretty much, all the labs are clear."

"I meant you, not the labs."

"Oh, yeah, I'm all done. I packed Lonnie's things away too." Beth looked up at him and nuzzled into his neck. "I'm ready to say goodbye," she admitted.

Miguel agreed. His only consolation for the past four days had been getting the new set of WSKRS up and running. It had given him something to focus on. But now, he, like the rest of the crew, needed closure before they could turn their heads to the task in front of them. However, even though he was ready for one goodbye, he was far from ready for the other. The seaQuest left berth at midnight the following night, meaning this was their last one together, and he didn't intend to spend it alone. He pressed his face close to hers and tentatively spoke. "Would you stay with me tonight?"

Already encircled in all his warmth, Beth couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be.

***

It was with a heavy heart that Nathan donned his dress uniform for the second time that week, in preparation for the many farewells he would soon have to make. Lexington had asked him to give a speech at the funeral in a few hours time, and his mind had spun over it all night. It hadn't helped that Lucas had burst in during the early hours to talk things over and make peace, but Nathan had been grateful for that. It had given him one less thing to face.

He checked the time and sat down to his desk, clicking the computer into life, and reading over his speech one last time. In the end, the vital piece of material had come from Kristin, who in turn had taken it from a conversation she'd had with Beth.

Kristin had found him slouched over his desk late the previous night. As she'd walked into the room, his attention had been focused on a rotating set of photos of the crew, pausing longest on those of him and Wendy. She'd paused to swallow down the hurt – something she'd become accustomed to since hearing about the closeness between him and the Doctor.

"What are you mulling over?" she'd asked him.

He turned, slightly ashamed and closed the monitor. "Someone's life," he mused. He felt for Kristin. She'd selflessly re-entered an old life in order to help them all through this tragedy, and in return had found herself stuck between two of the most influential women in his life - Wendy and her mother. But she held a place in his heart that only Carol had previously been able to touch. Lexington had fallen for Nathan Bridger of the military, a man he'd disowned long ago, but Kristin loved the scientist, the man Carol had nurtured into someone he could be proud of. Three years ago their relationship had just merely progressed beyond that of professional, but once she'd left the crew, it became too hard to maintain the connection. However, their friendship remained strong, and it was that he now found himself relying on.

"Just be honest, Nathan," she said suddenly, catching him off guard.

"About what?"

"About Wendy."

Nathan grumped and lifted the computer screen back up.

Kristin sighed and took the seat next to him. "I've spent the last four days listening to your crew. I think I have some ideas…" she'd begun.

With the speech more or less memorised, all that remained was to collect Lucas and make their way over to the church. It was his duty to be a pillar for his crew. Much to his dismay, his pillar had already left. Kristin had caught an early flight, choosing not to attend the funeral, believing that she had no right, that she hadn't known Wendy well enough, or long enough. So that had been one goodbye out of the way. Two more important ones were left – Wendy and Lucas.

With one last look in the mirror, he straightened his jacket, and went to begin the first.

***

Because of her bravery, and her position within the fleet, Wendy was given a full military funeral. Out of respect, some of the most senior UEO figureheads were in attendance; McGath and Noyce being just two. Lexington greeted them all as everyone took their seats and waited.

Dressed in their full uniform, the crew sat close together, supporting each other.

They began with one of Wendy's favourite hymns – '_Be Thou My Vision_' and were then addressed by the priest, who spoke to them about the need to 'let go' and 'move on' without forgetting.

Sat between Miguel and Jim, Beth couldn't believe it was time already. After days of wishing it were all over, now it was here, she didn't think she was ready after all. The sense of grief from the crowd was over-whelming. '_All those people,_' she thought. All those people were there for Wendy, and the weight of that sat heavy on her shoulders. Once again, the guilt over her actions was at the forefront of her mind. '_I've taken her away from all these people._' She swallowed desperately, trying to rid herself of the knot in her throat. Her hands were suddenly squeezed on both sides.

'_Not yet_,' she heard, soundlessly, though which man it came from she didn't know. But whoever it was, they were right, she had to hold on.

Once the priest had finished, Nathan took the stand. As an introduction, he spoke about what is expected of Medical Officers in the Navy, and how it's hard for any scientist to fit in on a submarine, but even harder for women.

Sitting in a wheelchair at the end of the pew, Lonnie gave a small laugh, as did all the other women present in the church, including Lexington. They all had the same thought – Wendy would not have appreciated that comment.

"The first seaQuest had a strong Medical Officer," Nathan continued, "and her departure left a large hole to fill. But rather than try to fit in where the other left off, she made the job her own."

Beth smiled, realising he was using her words.

His tribute was touching, but not overly sentimental. He left those details for Lexington, who was next to speak.

She took the stand and looked out on the sea of faces in front of her. The silence was unbearable, so she quickly filled it with her own voice. She spoke about Wendy's childhood, her ambitions, the good memories and the not so good ones, Wendy's proudest achievements, and the amusing flaws in her personality. She eventually turned the subject to her telepathic abilities. Her peers had suggested she leave that subject alone, but she was just as eager to stand up to them as Wendy had been to stand up to _her _demons.

"My daughter faced a lot of prejudice in her life. But she was one of those few souls who, even in the face of such judgement, never showed others the same treatment. I hope that her actions will go a long way to convincing sceptics that not all psychics should be feared and despised. Her bravery surpassed even my own expectations, and I just pray that by moving forward as a democracy, a confederation, a country, a government, a unit, a family, and as people, we can prove that her sacrifice was worthwhile." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Lucas Wolenczak, a member of the seaQuest science staff, has prepared a slideshow for us now. So I ask that, while you are watching, please remember Wendy as she would have liked – as herself. Thank you all."

There were both laughter and tears, as they watched the pictures float across the screen, punctuated by various video clips Lucas had taken.

"Don't you dare!" everyone giggled as they watched Wendy shout at Lucas. This one was taken at the beach, just before the ball. Lucas had just come out of the ocean, his clothes soaking and had threatened to give her a hug. Instead, he just took off his shirt and threw it at her. She'd ducked and tripped over a bag, ending up in a heap on the sand.

As the flow of pictures faded to a halt, the military band began playing to accompany the coffin out of the church. Beth stood up to allow Jim and Miguel through. They, along with Jonathan, Wendy's father, uncle and cousin, had been chosen to act as pallbearers. Slowly shuffling side-by-side, they, along with a five-man honour-guard, escorted Wendy out to the graveside.

Once the coffin was laid down, they lined up in formation with the rest of the crew, as the honour-guard prepared for the 3-volley salute. The majority of the congregation closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the shots. As the NCO in charge, Miguel gave the order for them to fire.

Lucas' heart hammered as the first shot rang out, and he gripped Lonnie round the shoulders. After the second and third shot, the military personnel snapped to attention and saluted the coffin. Beth and Lucas placed their right hands over their hearts, struggling to maintain composure, as the bugle player began playing "taps."

Formerly such a mundane piece of music, he knew from that day onward, he wouldn't be able to listen to it without remembering.

Nathan stepped out towards the coffin and began folding the flag, something he'd practiced several times the night before in order to get it right. Once it was carefully folded into its' little bundle, he walked over to present it to Lexington.

"As a representative of the United Earths Oceans Armed Forces, it is my high privilege to present you this flag. Let it be a symbol of the grateful appreciation this organisation feels for the distinguished service rendered to our confederation and our flag by your loved one."

"Thank you, Nathan," Lexington saluted as she took the flag from him.

And that was it, all the pomp and ceremony was over. No more trumpets blaring, no more grand speeches. All that remained were raw, exposed emotions, as the harsh reality crept over them all. This was it, time to say goodbye.

The silence seemed to bring it all to the surface, as silent tears rolled down grief-stricken faces. The men broke formation and walked over to comfort each other, as well as their civilian counterparts. There were no walls between them, allowing them to finally express what had been kept inside for the five days since the attack. Jonathan made a bee-line for Lonnie, taking her hand and giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, while Tim, Miguel, Tony and Jim all exchanged firm handshakes and words of comfort.

Encompassed in an apologetic embrace, Lucas mumbled into Nathan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Captain," he admitted for the second time.

"So am I, kiddo, so am I," Nathan sighed.

Standing apart from them all, Beth tentatively walked forward to stand by Wendy's coffin. She reached out and brushed the surface of it with her hand, and laid a single Purple Hyacinth on the lid. The flower clashed with the all white and red colour scheme Lexington had chosen for the ceremony.

"Didn't the Admiral specify only _red_ flowers?" Tony asked, slightly worried.

He was answered with silence; they were all thinking the same thing.

"She's saying goodbye. What does it matter about the flower?" Jim retorted.

"Trust me," Jonathan insisted. "You _do not_ mess with Admiral Lexington, especially on a day like this. Oh God," he inhaled as Lexington came up behind Beth and eyed the flower.

"Purple Hyacinth, interesting choice," she said sternly, making Beth jump.

"I'm sorry, maam," she trembled, barely making out the other woman through her distorted vision. She blinked hard to remove the tears.

"I am sorry, please forgive me - isn't that correct?" Lexington asked, prompting confusion from the others. "My Grandmother dabbled in floral arrangements, she taught me the meanings of a few flowers," she explained, not only to Beth but to the others aswell.

Lexington ran her fingers softly over the petals. "From what I hear, you've done nothing to suggest you need forgiveness. Wendy made her own choices, and I'm sure she'd be proud of the one you made too."

Beth barely registered what she'd said before she was shaking the Admiral's hand and bidding her farewell. She was dumbstruck. She'd never expected to hear those words, not here and not today. But she'd needed to hear them, and they released such strong waves of relief that she couldn't hold it together any longer.

"Go help her out," Jim said to Miguel as they watched her disappear inside her grief. He needed no more encouragement, enfolding her in his arms and cradling her against his chest, helping her through the turmoil just as he had done once before.

***

After the wake, Lonnie had been collected by her parents and set off on the journey home, and Nathan and Lucas had disappeared – gone to say their private goodbyes. The remaining members of the group had decided to head into town for a meal together. It had been nice to wind down in each other's company, but with a midnight curfew, they hadn't been able to stay long, and before they knew it, were back at the dock, ready for another farewell.

Jim and Jonathan hauled Beth's bags out of the launch, with much-exaggerated groaning and complaining.

"Honestly, women! I'll never understand it," Jim insisted.

"What _have_ you got in here?" Jonathan teased. "I bet its something classified."

"She doesn't need to steal something classified, she _is_ classified," Tony joked.

Beth grimaced at them all, glad for the light relief, but the sad undertone was still there.

"Commander Ford, these bag's aren't heavy, I think you were just teasing!" Dagwood exclaimed, lifting both bags with one arm.

Jonathan rolled his eyes, while the rest of them laughed. "Thanks, Dag," he frowned.

The inevitable silence fell upon them, a little sooner than they would have hoped.

"So…" Beth began.

"So…" Jonathan emulated.

"You guys look out for each other," she told them.

"We always do," Jonathan nodded. "Come here," he said, walking forward to give her a strong hug and a quick kiss on the side of her cheek. He pulled away and placed both hands on her arms. "Be safe, alright? We've already rescued you once!" he teased, with genuine concern, and stepped back.

"I will," she promised.

"Beth," Tim began. He held his hand out towards her, hesitating, before throwing it back and inviting her into a hug. Tim was perhaps the one member of the group she hadn't got to know quite as well, which she regretted because he was a very genuine guy. She made a mental note to spend more time with him on the next tour – if she was on the next tour.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Tony took his turn next. "Oh, come on, Doc! We'll be back in no time!" he said, burying her in his embrace. They both wheezed as Dagwood suddenly grabbed them both in an overly enthusiastic hug.

"Woah, Dagwood!" Miguel and Jim exclaimed as they prized his arms open.

Beth coughed, "I'll miss you too, Dag!" She turned her gaze to Jim.

"I guess I'd better say my piece, huh?" he said, sheepishly, still embarrassed to show so much concern for her in front of the other men, much to their amusement.

"Well, if you're not bothered!" Beth teased.

"Get over here!" he smiled, sadly and gathered her in his arms, protectively. With so many people leaving his life all at once, he suddenly felt very reluctant to let go. His Grandparents were gone; his mum wasn't around, he'd never had a father, now Wendy was gone, and Lucas was leaving too. She was the only person who knew who he'd been before the military, so understood him more than any of his Navy family. He sighed, slightly more overwhelmed than would be considered manly, and decided just to say it. "I love you, you know that, right?" he admitted, startling his friends with his openness.

"I love you, too," she mumbled into his shoulder, just as reluctant to release him.

After a few more moments, Jim pulled away, making room for Miguel to take his place. The others moved back to a respectful distance.

Her lip was quivering before he even had a chance to reach her. A small sob escaped as he cupped her face in his hands and lifted it to look at him. No words came to either of them, so instead they just held each other, relishing in the moment of intimacy. Eventually, Beth's emotions calmed, aided by Miguel, rhythmically stroking her hair and her back. She relaxed in his arms as they both resigned themselves to what had to come next.

"I'm gonna miss you," she sighed.

"You said that last time."

"I meant it."

Indecision prayed on Miguel's mind. He was so sure he knew how he felt, but to say it out loud left it vulnerable and exposed, and there was always the chance she didn't feel the same way.

They pulled apart and gazed at each other, both seeking something from the other. With sadness, Miguel decided it was too big a risk. Full of tenderness, he leaned in until their lips met and kissed her, with all the love in his heart. The feel of Beth's hands on the back of his neck, made him sigh with both passion and frustration. The strength of his feelings were so overwhelming he felt they would devour him.

Gently, she pushed on his chest and they released each other, breathing deeply, faces brushing together. She was briefly lost in his eyes, almost slipping into his mind to escape the reality that surrounded them.

Still lost for words, and in an attempt to hold off the inevitable, he held her close once more, tucking her head under his chin.

Car doors slammed shut behind them, and footsteps headed in their direction.

"Gentlemen," Nathan greeted them, with Lucas walking alongside.

"Captain," they all greeted him in unison.

Miguel and Beth peeled apart, but remained holding hands, and watched as Lucas shook hands with all the men in parting.

Tony and Dagwood, however, decided this wasn't enough, and sandwiched him between them.

"Be good, kid," Tony told him.

"Yes, be good, Lucas," Dagwood agreed.

Miguel turned to Beth once more.

"I need to…" she began, but Miguel raised his finger to her lips and cut her off.

"I'll see you in a month," he said softly, and placed a parting kiss on her forehead. He then turned and began to walk away, allowing their hands to linger together for as long as possible. "Bye, Lucas," he called over his shoulder. As they watched the backs of the men move towards the hatch, Beth suddenly remembered one vital detail.

"Jim!" she called. He turned, confused. "Aren't you forgetting something? Keys?"

Recognition sprang across his face and he fished in his pockets for the keys to his apartment. He hurled them into the air and Beth casually pulled them into her hands, raising an amused smile from the others.

Together, she and Lucas watched as they disappeared into the hatch.

"Do you want to wait until they launch?" she asked him.

"Do you?"

Beth nodded, "Yeah, I do too."

With security passes in hand, they walked up to the edge of the dock, admiring the seaQuest with her lights glistening against the water in the dark. Her engines began to thrum and the water churned at the stern. Soon after, she began to sink beneath the surface. Had it been daylight, they'd have had no idea where she was, but it was reassuring to see her lights still shining up at them from the murky depths. That way, they were able to follow her slow passage out through the channel and round the harbour entrance, until she disappeared out into open water.

Lucas almost laughed at how bizarre the situation felt, watching the seaQuest leave without him. '_It's only four weeks_,' he kept reminding himself. '_Only four weeks_.'


	14. Chapter 14

**So this is it - last chapter...**

***

For a further month, the seaQuest relentlessly patrolled the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, while her counterparts performed similar duties on the opposite side of the continent. On high alert, any unregistered sub or unofficial activity was treated with suspicion until verified otherwise. The statistics were difficult to live with. By the end of the month, eight out of ten call outs were false alarms, making the high alert status difficult to maintain. The situation was even more intense for the crew of the seaQuest, because in many ways they all believed they could have done something to prevent what happened. If they'd somehow been able to talk Samson out of it in the Solomon's, but as Bridger reminded them, if Samson had been stopped, someone else would just have taken his place.

The removal of the science contingent had also left the boat a very different place to live. Although at first their presence had been received with contempt and resentment, the military members of the crew now had to admit they missed having them around. They had become a form of escapism – a distraction from the otherwise strict regime of life onboard a submarine. Without that distraction, life was a lot harder to bear, and the only thing left to focus on had been the end of the patrol, thankfully now only a few hours away.

***

As with the other friends and families of the crew onboard, Lucas stood by the side of the dock, waiting anxiously for any sign that the infamous sub was on it's way.

After the attack, civilians weren't allowed anywhere near the UEO Naval Base, so the homecoming ceremony had been moved to a smaller harbour a few miles along the coast. Afterwards she would be moved to dry-dock for a month long maintenance.

It had been a long month, but a month in which a lot had been accomplished.

After hearing what had happened, his father had asked him to come and stay. He'd been reluctant to go, but since an olive branch had been offered, he decided to accept it. Things had been awkward, difficult and at times downright unbearable. When the month was up, Lucas found himself eager to leave, but not because he couldn't stand being there, but because he had his own life, of which his parents were no longer a large part. The visit had done a lot to diffuse tensions and had created an acceptance between them. His parents accepted that they hadn't done enough for their son, and as such, weren't held high in his regard, and Lucas accepted that they regretted it. He'd made the right decision in going, but had been glad to return to welcome back the crew from their patrol.

He looked around him, eager to spot anyone else from the science team who might have come back for the same reason. He thought he saw a figure he recognised, but even after a double take he wasn't sure. He looked again, waiting for them to turn face on, and was rewarded with a huge grin as the figure recognised him too.

"Lucas!" Beth shouted, as she ran over to him. They met in the middle, arms around each other, laughing with delight. They pulled back and looked at each other.

"I didn't recognise you…your hair!" Lucas exclaimed.

"I know, it needed it!" she smiled.

"No, no, it's good, it's nice," he said honestly. She'd had a good bit cut off. He was so used to seeing her with it sleeked back into a bun, or a plait, that having it down made her look completely different – less severe – more happy.

"How did things go at home?" she asked as they walked back to the barrier.

"As well as could be expected I guess," he said. "We laid a few things to rest. How about you?"

"Yeah, I did the same," she nodded.

After Wendy's funeral she'd flown back to Cape Quest, and settled in Jim's apartment. She'd had a day of intermittent sleep and tears, a day of watching television, and a day of listening to music and cleaning up, before she'd contacted a solicitor in Portland. She gave him instructions to initiate the sale of the house on her behalf, and have all personal belongings forwarded to Jim's address. It had been hard getting rid of it; Bill had left the house to her in his will, so it almost felt like a betrayal. In many ways it made sense to keep it. The _Briers-Allen _Reserve Management Group was also based in Portland, at Portland State University, where she'd graduated. So not only was it close to a source of work, but also to the social circle she'd once belonged to. But it was part of the past, and was a loose end that needed tying off for good.

The same solicitor was able to re-activate her bank accounts; giving her access to the money Bill had also left her. Between that, and her wages from working on the seaQuest, she was, financially, quite comfortable for the time being. With that in mind, she went on several shopping trips, buying a range of both necessary and unnecessary things; all symbolising the new beginning she was making for herself.

Soon after, she also got in touch with Doctor Levin, who was still in Vancouver, and had been delighted to hear from her, inviting her up to visit straightaway. As soon as her things arrived from Portland, that had been her next stop – two weeks conducting research on Orcas in the straits of British Columbia.

The world of research Joshua was involved in was a world away from the research environment of the seaQuest. It was so much more relaxed and informal, and did wonders for relieving the stresses of the past few months. All in all, she found their way of life easy and enjoyable, and something she would consider doing in the future. The experience had certainly changed her point of view, but it was with relief that she now stood by the harbour, waiting to welcome her friends, and Miguel, back home.

"It's strange to think of the seaQuest out there without us," Lucas admitted.

"For you, yeah I imagine it would. That boat's like your home," Beth commented. "Have you ever thought of doing something away from it?"

"Like what?" he asked, sensing she had something up her sleeve.

"Like, coming to work with Levin for a couple of weeks, up in B.C. with me."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, really, I'd like you to come. Did you have something else planned?"

"No," Lucas smiled, "Just finishing off some papers."

"Take them with you," she suggested.

He really didn't need to think about it. "Alright," he agreed.

"Good," Beth said, satisfied. It was about time he got out and saw a bit more. She was about to get into specifics when two figures loomed behind them.

"Look who I found hobbling by the entrance," Kristin smiled at the young woman attached to her arm. Lonnie, although looking much better, was still cradling her stomach in discomfort.

"It's ok, I'm not going to break," she laughed at Lucas and Beth's indecision, who then moved forward to greet her, with care, before hugging Kristin fiercely.

"How're you doing?" Lucas asked them both.

Lonnie answered first. "Getting there. My folks were completely against me coming down here but I had to see them home safe."

"Oh, I'm fine, fine as ever," Kristin smiled, giving nothing away as usual.

Lucas and Beth made space by the barrier as the horn in the harbour blared, indicating for the other boats to keep the channel clear; seaQuest was on its way in.

They could feel the tension at their backs from the hundreds of relatives crowded round for the first glimpse, and as it appeared, the whole crowd erupted in spontaneous applause. The seaQuest laboriously bubbled to the surface and manoeuvred to a slow stop alongside the dock. Kristin, Lucas, Lonnie and Beth all clung to each other, grinning from ear to ear. The suspense was unbearable, knowing that their friends were moments away, but waiting as minute by drawn out minute ticked by. The crowd had fallen silent again, all attention focused on the stairs leading down to the docking hatch. Standing side by side on the platform, McGath and Noyce waiting just as anxiously.

The crowd collectively inhaled as the pressure in the hatch equalised and the lights turned from red to green. The wall of noise that exploded when the door opened was enough to startle the man who stepped out first. Blinking, Nathan walked out into the welcoming sunshine and led his crew onto the dock.

There was no segregation of ranks. They'd all gone into this together, and they were all going to end it together, side-by-side as equals. Nathan stood in front of the microphone stand, shaking hands with McGath and Noyce, while the crew deposited their duffle bags off stage and lined up along the platforms.

Beth's heart leapt when she saw Miguel emerge from the tunnel, but her smile soon faded when she noticed the stern expressions they were all wearing. Battle-weary, tired and disillusioned, they had worked hard on the front line of an invisible war, in which nothing really seemed to happen. She hoped that he had seen her, so he would know she'd kept her promise.

The crowd hushed as McGath took the stand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" he began but was instantly stopped as Nathan stepped forward unexpectedly to speak.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a few words I would like to say. The men and women behind me, although brave and honourable, and held in my highest esteem, do not make up my entire crew. More than half the crew compliment of the seaQuest was left behind in Norfolk before we set off on this patrol, and I feel it wouldn't be right to have a welcoming ceremony without them. So…if the guards would allow those of them who are here to come forward, I'd like them to join us on the stage."

Lucas, Lonnie and Beth all looked at each other, unsure.

"Go on," Kristin said softly, pushing Lucas in the direction of the gate leading to the stage. Leaning heavily on Beth, Lonnie also slowly walked up the stairs. Jonathan and Jim came down to meet them; taking Lonnie from Beth and helping her reach the top of the platform. Seeing Miguel, Beth hesitated slightly, but he was already in motion, walking over to her and scooping her hand up in his. The touch of his skin was electric, and they gripped each other tightly, ferocious desire tugging at every nerve. Grouped together, they all stood looking out on the crowd as McGath began his speech.

It wasn't memorable; lots about bravery and how they'd performed their duties well, but it was a formality that washed over the crew. They were home and that was all that mattered. As they stood listening to the words, a photographer took a picture of them all. By that point they were all scanning the crowd for familiar faces, and as the speech ended and the crowd erupted into rapturous applause once again, whooping and shrieking, they finally allowed themselves to feel something other than cold. Embraces, handshakes and kisses soon followed, causing Nathan's heart to lighten ever so slightly.

Lucas found himself sandwiched between Tony and Dagwood as they ruffled his hair and prodded his belly, with Tony commenting that he wanted some of whatever he'd been eating. With her arms around both men, Lonnie leaned in and planted a kiss on Jim and Jonathan's cheeks. She shouted for Tim to come over, and promptly wrapped her arms around him, before confessing that she'd missed them all.

Miguel pulled hard on the hand in his and took Beth into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead with open tenderness, as they both sighed with relief.

"How you doing?" she asked with concern.

"I've been better, but I'll be alright," he replied, downbeat.

"How were things out there?"

"Intense, frustrating."

"I'm sorry."

"It's my job."

"I know, but I'm still sorry. I missed you."

"Me too," he said, squeezing her tight. "God, it's good to be back!"

Soon they were all making their way off the stage to greet their families.

Nathan wasted no time in walking down the stairs to greet Kristin. She gazed at him sympathetically, knowing instantly that he was torn inside and had a great deal of healing to do. She put his arm around him and simply rubbed his back, while they looked out on the seaQuest. It wasn't long before they had company.

"Captain?" Lucas asked tentatively.

On hearing his voice, Nathan set aside his concerns, and turned to give him a warm smile, genuinely pleased to see him. They both gazed at each other appraisingly, before breaking into enormous grins and launching into each other's arms. Kristin stood back and watched, realising that Lucas was probably the best prescription she could have given for Nathan's grief.

"I'm glad you made it back alright," Lucas admitted.

"Me too, kiddo, me too," Nathan said, patting his back. "You managed to tear yourself away from Piccolo, huh?" he joked.

"And Dagwood. I didn't think my shirt was gonna survive intact!" Lucas moaned, much to Nathan and Kristin's amusement.

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think it did," Kristin added, admiring a large rip in the back of his new checked shirt.

"Great!" he sighed.

Nathan looked at him more seriously. "Did you visit your father?"

Lucas' smile changed slightly from joyful to sarcastic. "Yeah," he groaned, and began telling them both about his month at home, while the sounds of joyful reunion continued behind them.

Jonathan walked straight into the welcoming embrace of Ben and his father, Charles. Rose and Angie were eagerly waiting to smother Tony in wet kisses and laughed as he struggled against their affections. Tim and Miguel were also among their families, and were quickly lost in the crowd, leaving Jim, Beth and Dagwood to stand and watch.

"Are you alright?" Beth asked as she wrapped her arm around Jim.

"I am now," he sighed, returning her gesture.

She understood. They were each other's family.

"Makes me happy," Dagwood mumbled.

"What does, Dag?" Jim asked.

"Seeing everyone else happy," he said simply.

"That's what makes you a better human that any of us will ever be," Jim admitted, patting him on the back.

Dagwood smiled and stuck out his chest, proudly.

"Do you think I should go and say hello?" Beth asked, looking at Miguel with his family. He had one nephew tucked in his arm as he bent down to speak to the other. Her heart warmed to see him so relaxed. He set the boy down and stood up, leaning in towards an older woman and man, who Beth guessed must be his parents. They were engaging each other in serious discussion, with another young woman and man listening in, intently. He quickly turned his head towards where she and Jim were standing. Beth gulped.

"Looks like the introductions are going to be made _for_ you," Jim smiled, as Miguel eagerly waved her over towards him.

She hung back, clinging to Jim nervously.

He pulled her arm from around him. "He wants you over there, go!" he said, laughing at her reluctance.

"He was waving in this general direction! He could have been waving at all of us!" she insisted.

"Yeah, like he wants me to meet his parents!"

"You're one of his commanding officers," she continued.

Jim grimaced at her, then smiled. "Alright," he said, taking her by the hand and jerking her towards Miguel and his relatives.

She tugged against him, furiously. "Jim, no! Jim! Stop!" she bellowed.

He turned to her, laughing, and gave her cheek a light pat as she walked past him. With a shy smile, she walked to where Miguel was still standing, gesturing her over.

'_Who do they think I am?_' she thought suddenly. '_Am I a member of the crew? A friend? His girlfriend?_'

She was still wondering when Miguel gently placed his hand on the small of her back and drew her in towards his family.

He glanced at her, making sure she was alright, before proceeding. "Everyone, this is Elizabeth Allen; Beth this is everyone," he said, proudly. Beth smiled at him, amused at his use of her full name, and held out her hand. "My parents, Walker and Romona," he continued.

"Hello, how are you? Nice to finally meet you," she said, shaking their hands.

"Likewise," Romona agreed, "We've heard and seen a lot about you. You look different from the photographs."

Beth's eyes widened. '_He'd shown them photographs?_'

"Mama!" the young woman standing next to her exclaimed.

"Uh, this is my sister, Daniella, her partner, Benton Valero, and these guys," he smiled, bending down to sweep one of the boys into the air, "are Jasper and Denver." He was rewarded with screams and giggles, from both the one in his arms, and the one tugging at his trousers.

"I've seen pictures of these two," Beth said to Daniella. "They must keep you really busy!"

"You have no idea!" she sighed, batting Denver away from Miguel.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, as Jasper grabbed hold of a large chunk of hair and attempted to remove it from his scalp.

"That's what you get for having such a mane!" Daniella quipped, raising a laugh from them all. Miguel simply rolled his eyes – he'd heard it all before.

He looked at Beth and gave her a knowing nod. "This one's been telling me the same thing," he nodded towards her.

"Then I suggest you listen," Daniella added. "That thing's bordering on a 'fro!"

"So, how long are you all in town?" Beth asked.

"No time at all," Walker replied.

"We're all flying out in a couple of hours," Miguel explained, sheepishly, setting Jasper back on the ground.

"Can't wait to get him home," Romona added.

"Oh," Beth said, trying to maintain a brave smile. "In that case I'm glad I caught you." As Miguel rubbed his hand against her back, she looked up at him, unable to hide the devastation in her eyes.

"What are you doing over the break, Elizabeth?" Walker asked.

"Oh, it's Beth, please. I've been working on a project in British Columbia, so I'll be going back there for a couple of weeks," she told them.

"So you did go up there?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah, it was great," she smiled.

"What were you doing?" Benton asked.

"Observation work on Orcas. But we're hoping to do a similar survey to the one I did on humpbacks with the seaQuest, so we can map the most important areas for conservation."

They all looked at her, impressed at her enthusiasm.

"When are you heading back?" Miguel asked.

"By the end of the second week probably." She looked down, as Jasper, or Denver, she wasn't sure which, tried to butt in between her and Miguel. "Sorry, did I steal your playmate?" she laughed.

Miguel scooped him up and nestled him in his arm. "This is Beth," he told the boy. "Can you say Beth, Denver?"

"Hello," Beth smiled, but Denver turned his head away and buried it in Miguel's shoulder. "Aw, are you shy?"

"Shy my backside!" Daniella laughed. "Come here, you!" she said, taking Denver down from Miguel and setting him at her feet.

Awkward silence fell between them for a few moments. Beth was still unsure how much Miguel had told his family about their relationship.

"Are you doing anything before you head back north?" Miguel asked her.

"I haven't got anything planned," she answered, slightly suspicious by now of all the questions, but too scared to ask for fear of making a fool of herself.

Romona cleared her throat. "In that case, we'd like to ask whether you'd consider coming to stay with us for a while. Of course we understand you can't fly out right away, but maybe in a few days?"

Beth's eyes widened again – she was completely unprepared for that turn of events.

Daniella laughed. "You look like a deer in headlights, poor chick. Mama, you're awful!"

"You don't have to," Miguel insisted.

Beth shook her head. "No! It would actually be really nice," she said, still not quite believing what she'd just agreed to.

Miguel wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly against him, and planted another kiss on her head, thus resolving any questions Beth still had about how much his family knew. "Come with me, I need to get my bag," he told her, taking her hand and leading her away. "We'll be right back."

"You used my full name," she teased, once they were out of earshot.

"I can't believe you said yes!"

"I can't believe she invited me!"

"Yeah, well truth is, when I told them you were back onboard, she insisted on constantly telling me that I shouldn't let you slip away this time."

"Why?"

"I guess she knew from the way I spoke, that the way I felt about you was different to other girls I've been with. She thinks I'd regret it if I didn't give it a go."

"And would you?"

"I regretted it the moment you left Hawaii three years ago," he said, leaning in and smothering her in a heartfelt kiss, leaving her beaming as he pulled away. "I'm really glad you said yes," he admitted.

***

They met most of the others at the pile of duffle bags.

"No missing limbs, no war wounds!" Jim teased.

"Hey, enough of the in-laws jokes, my folks aren't that bad!" Miguel quipped.

Jonathan grinned. It was good to hear them wise-cracking again. "Well guys, my Dad and Brother are waiting, so I'm gonna go," he announced, regretfully.

As he said goodbye to Jim, Miguel and Tim, Tony sidled up to Beth.

"Hey, listen, I know you and Doc Smith had this special bond or whatever, but I kinda understand how you feel with all this psychic stuff, so…I dunno, I just want you to know that you can share it with me, if you ever feel like it's gettin' too much y'know?" he rambled.

Beth rubbed his arm, appreciatively. "Thanks, Tony. I'll remember that," she nodded, and stepped back to allow Jonathan to say goodbye to him.

"What are you doing with yourself for the next month, anyway?" she asked him when it was her turn.

"Going to work with Ben. I think I need to spend some time with the family."

"I'll agree with that," Tony added.

"Me too," Tim agreed.

Simultaneously, they all awkwardly realised that Jim had no family to spend time with, except Beth, but now she had Miguel.

"You know, any of you guys are welcome to come and work with us," Jonathan suggested. "Hard work and no pay, but the food's good and the views are lovely."

"I might just take you up on that one, Commander," Jim said.

"Well great, considering you _were_ really the only one I was offering."

"Jee, thanks, Commander! Nice to know who your friends are!" Tony quipped. "Listen, I gotta run, have a great vacation guys!" he yelled as he ran back into the crowd.

"I've got to do the same. Take care you guys," Tim waved and light heartedly saluted.

"Me too," Jonathan added. "Call me about coming out!" he pointed at Jim.

"So," Jim said, as only he, Beth and Miguel remained.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Lucas and Kristin, and then I'll come and say goodbye to your family, alright?" Beth announced.

"Yeah, sure," Miguel smiled, watching her go. "You really gonna go work for the Commander?" he asked Jim.

"Work _with_, Ortiz, not _for_," Jim corrected, "there's a difference."

"Right," Miguel groaned, hoisting the duffel onto his back. "I can't wait to do _nothing_ for a _whole_ day!" he grinned.

"Tell me about it," Jim agreed. "Sports channels, a bowl of chips and a six-pack of beer – all you need for hours of entertainment."

"Except now you're gonna have a woman under your feet telling you to stop lazing around," Miguel teased.

"So are you!" Jim laughed.

He shrugged – he wasn't bothered.

Exchanging hugs, it looked as though the woman in question was almost finished with Lucas, Kristin and Nathan, so he parted ways with Jim and started to walk over and meet her next to his parents.

"Hey, Miguel!" Jim shouted after him.

He turned, eyebrow raised, not sure what to expect.

"You'll be good to her, right?" Jim asked.

Though half frustrated by the insinuation that he still couldn't do right by women, he knew Jim was only looking out for her. He looked at him, deadpan, and nodded. Jim seemed satisfied with this response, so Miguel turned back towards his family, already focused on getting back home, and secretly ecstatic at the thought of having Beth coming to visit.

***

'_Home cooked meal, or carry out?'_ Jim wondered to himself, as he waited for Beth to finish with Miguel and his family. '_I think carry out,_' he decided, '_but that doesn't narrow it down. What kind of carry out? Indian? Thai? Pizza? Chinese? All four? And then there's dessert!_'

He was still debating when Beth sidled up alongside him. They stood in silence for a few moments, leaning into each other, watching the dissipating crowd and contemplating the events of the last year, never having thought it would turn out the way it had, but not complaining either.

"And then there were two," he joked.

"Jim," she began. "What would you say if I offered to buy half the apartment?"

He looked down at her, astonished. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

He looked out onto the harbour, weighing up the decision in his mind. In the end there wasn't really any decision to be made. "Let's go home," he answered happily.

"I like the sound of that," Beth agreed, and fell into step beside him, leaving the seaQuest to be moved into dry dock, where she would wait for them all until the next tour began.


End file.
